X Evolution: Memories
by Gemini Star01
Summary: Dusk has been expelled, but Kouichi's mind is not in the shape it should be. With his memories a scattered mess of confusion, he wanders from the Institute in search of what he is missing... The third episode in the XEvolution series.
1. Blank Black

Here it is, ladies and gents, the final episode in my little trilogy of Frontier/X-Men Evolution crossovers! If you're just tuning it, it's for your best interest to go to my profile and read the first two 'episodes', namely, "_The X-Evolution" _and "_X-Evolution: The Rise of Dusk" _so that you know what's going on. Please make sure to review all three if you do this, so I know you're around!

The way of naming chapters in this story is vaguely inspired by the tri-fold naming system used by the creators of the Hunter X Hunter anime, except that I'm using mine as a bipod. Guess why. If you know me, it should be pretty easy. There are several different reasons.

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Digimon or X-Men Evolution. So sue me. No wait…don't._

**The X-Evolution - Memories**

**Chapter 1: Blank/Black**

_Who are you?_

Kouji hated those words. Hated them with every fiber of his being. He hated the way that their vowels and consonants strung together to form syllables, hated the way the sentence sounded at it was spoken, hated the awkward silence that came afterwards as a confused speaker waited for an answer from an equally perplexed answerer.

And he hated that his brother was looking up at him now and saying those words, yet again.

"Who…are you?"

It was the fortieth time that Kouichi had woken to ask him that, lifting his head just enough about the pillow to look around the room that the two of them shared. The fortieth day, over a month, since they had expelled Dusk from his mind, nearly killing him. And the fortieth time that Kouji had gotten his hopes up, only to have them be torn down all over again.

Kouichi blinked again, looking up at him curiously, his eyes only half-open, as though he had a bad headache or was only just waking from a dream. He took another deep breath, struggling as though every one hurt, and spoke again: "Who are you?"

Kouji sighed and forced a smile onto his face. "Nobody. I'm nobody."

He lifted the tray that he had set on the floor and set it up so that it balanced just above Kouichi's lap. It contained a bowl of warm oatmeal, two pieces of toast, an apple and chilled bottle of orange juice - all the things proscribed by Storm and Beast as being a good, rounded breakfast.

"Here." He kept the smile on his face as he helped his brother sit up. "You need to eat."

"I…do?" Kouichi blinked at the food, then picked up the spoon from the oatmeal. Before he began, he turned and offered Kouji a small, half-unconscious smile. "Thank you…for being so kind."

Kouji felt his heart rip apart just a little more, but kept his expression somewhat happy as he stood. "You're welcome. They'll be in to check on you in a bit."

"Who's 'they'?"

"…You'll see. Don't worry."

He paused a moment at the door, watching, with a certain amount of pain, how his brother drew away from the light as though it burned. He bit his lip, opening the door as little as he could and standing in the way of the light to keep their shadowed little room as dark as possible.

"…Sorry." He muttered, and stepped into the hall, knowing that Kouichi would only lift his head when the door was closed and the light was gone.

Storm was waiting for him. Her face was soft with care, and she had the small notebook with all of the information that they could discover. "No change?"

Kouji shook his head. The woman sighed. "I didn't think so." She looked up at him and smiled softly. "You should get some breakfast, too, Kouji."

"I'm not hungry." The boy muttered, and shuffled off with his hands in his pockets.

He wandered to the Institute's library, planting himself into a window seat and curling up. He was spending a lot of time in here, now that his brother was basically living in their room. As much as he loved his brother, he couldn't bear to be around him now…not in this state.

Kouichi had died. In the fight to save him and, in fact, the entire world, he had been killed by his own brother. At the last moment, one of the others…Junpei Shibuya, Lightening Bug… had revived him, using his own mutant abilities as a human defibrillator. When Kouichi came back from…wherever…Dusk's soul and consciousness was not with him. As a result, the elder twin had been freed from…whatever hold that Dusk had on him. But the freedom had come with a price.

A decent chunk of Kouichi's brain, almost half of it, had been possessed by Dusk for a greater part of his life. Without Dusk's presence, that part of his brain was blank - unused cells, broken connections and scar tissue. Nothing was functioning properly, and it hadn't been for all of these weeks.

His long term-memory…all of his past, his knowledge of his family and friends, everything that had gone into his personality since he was four years old…had been scrapped. He couldn't have even told you his first name.

To make matters worse, his ability to create and hold short-term memories had been completely fried. Kouichi couldn't remember a single thing before or after his current time of consciousness. Even if they spent an entire day getting to re-know each other and rebuilding their bond, he would eventually fall asleep, and it would all start over the next day.

Eventually, he stopped starting altogether.

The big old door behind him opened slowly with the creak old, wise metal hinges, but Kouji didn't look up. It closed again, and footsteps approached on the soft carpet before the intruder spoke. "Hey."

Kouji glanced at the other, though he already recognized Takuya's voice. "…Hey."

The pyro gave him a soft grin and shrugged somewhat uselessly. "Still no change, huh?"

"No."

Takuya was quiet for a moment longer, shifting from one foot to another and sighed before he asked what he really wanted to ask. "And…what about you?"

Kouji glanced at him again, then lifted his hand to the light that was coming through the window. He concentrated, trying to draw the energy into his hand. For a moment, a tiny spark flickered in his palm. Then it vanished, leaving his hand as empty as before.

The twin sighed and lowered his hand. "Nothing."

Takuya groaned. Three weeks before, during a Danger Room session, of all things, Kouji's mutant ability had just - stopped. The Professor, Beast and the others had dozens of theories as to what had caused it, from guilt to exhaustion from overwork to his body sympathetically withdrawing along with his brother's memories. Either way, Yang had disappeared, and Kouji was only barely hanging on.

Flare hated being on the outside of it all, and felt like, if he couldn't do anything else, he had to help his friends…anyway he could.

He moved to the window seat and sat down, looking out at the lawn for a moment until he built up the courage. "You know…it's Saturday."

Kouji didn't look up. "So?"

"So, the guys and I were thinking we'd go to a movie or something. You know, hang out."

Kouji's head turned slowly, and Takuya finally got a really good look. The guy looked like hell, in the plainest of simple terms, with bags of worry under his eyes and a pallor where his self-depriving lack of decent nutrition was slowly becoming apparent. He had fallen into a sort of depression in the past few weeks, to the point that the school nurse was concerned for his health, which was why the others of the Institute had taken it upon themselves to reach out to him as much as possible, however unreceptive he had been.

"I'm not much company right now."

"You think we care about that?" Takuya rolled his eyes. "Come on, buddy, everybody's worried about you. I can't stand seeing you like this, none of us can. You're wasting away."

Kouji rested his head on his knees, folding his arms underneath them for an extra cushion. His eyes panned back to the window, his face still folded into a very definite frown. "…I deserve it."

"Oh, come on, Kouji!"

"Quit trying to make me feel better. You're always doing that."

"Yeah, because you're my friend!" Takuya moved forward and grabbed the other by the shoulders, shaking him. "Come on, buddy, you gotta snap out of this! What is wrong with you lately? I know you're worried, but this is out of control! You gotta snap out of it!"

Kouji just looked at him, his expression blank. "Takuya, do you have a brother?"

Flare stopped shaking and stared at him, dumbfounded. "What?"

"I asked if you have a brother. Or any siblings for that matter."

Takuya was quiet for a long moment, letting go of Kouji altogether and falling back into his place in the seat. He blinked, somewhat stupidly, then finally registered a decent answer to the question. "Well…Yeah. He's not here, but I do have a kid bro. His name's Shinya. He's back home with my folks…"

"What would you do if he was in danger? If somebody was threatening him, or he'd gotten himself into trouble?"

"Help him, of course." Takuya's mind was spinning - what on earth was Kouji trying to get at? "I'd find out whatever was hurting him and get rid of it. That's all there is to it."

Once again, Kouji looked sad, looking away from the other teen instead of right at him. "Yeah. Of course you would. That's what a brother is supposed to do, after all." He was quiet again, his eyes misting over just a bit as though he was in pain. "But I didn't do that, did I?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I didn't help him." Kouji's voice was rather bitter and self-demoralizing. "I couldn't help my own brother. In fact, I did everything but help him, didn't I? I killed him…"

"You didn't have any choice!" Takuya insisted, gripping his hands into fists. "You were _helping_ him…"

"I killed him." Kouji muttered sullenly, burring his eyes in his arms, hiding them from the world. "My own brother, and I killed him. I don't blame him for not knowing me. I don't even know myself anymore…"

Takuya just stared for a moment, dumbfounded, then shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Okay, that's it," he muttered, climbing off of the seat and grabbing Kouji by arms. He yanked and hauled Yang away from the window, onto his feet and into the center of the library. "We have got to get you out of this funk, buddy. You're coming with us, and you're not saying no."

Kouji, who wasn't used to being manhandled, stumbled a bit as his friend dragged him along. "But…"

"You _need_ this," Takuya insisted, giving him a slight grin as he switched to pushing him to the driveway rather than pulling him. "You don't have to worry, buddy. Storm and the others will take care of him while you're gone."

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

Kouichi stirred and rolled over, looking out the window. The blinds were closed very tight, and he could tell that it was for his sake - his eyes hurt when there was light. But he could tell that the light outside was very pale, he could see that from what little was coming through…and something was going on outside.

He crept to the window cautiously and pulled away the curtain. As expected, the tiny amount of light that hit his eyes as he peeked out made him recoil in pain, but he forced himself to suffer through it and forced it open again.

There was a big, white van outside, one of the old fifteen-passengers that had been specially modified to be more safe, no matter how rowdy the people inside it might become. One of the sliding doors was open and several teenagers were climbing inside - people his age, boys and girls, people that he was supposed to know, but didn't really. They were laughing, and looked like they were having fun just preparing for whatever trip they were going on.

Kouichi watched as the bright-faced, tanned boy with shaggy brown hair reached down from the front row of seats to help a pretty blonde girl into the van. Most of the group had already piled in, laughing and generally having a good time. There was only one who seemed somehow distant, and he was the only one who hadn't climbed in for the ride yet.

Kouji recognized him, better than the others - it was the boy who'd been there when he woke up. He looked…sad, somehow. Kouichi pressed his hand against the window, feeling the cold chill that was radiating through the glass, trying to reach out even as the sliding doors closed and the van started up.

"…Nobody." He muttered, remembering the other's words, and his hand fell into his lap. He didn't really know what was going on, but…he wanted to go, too.

The door opened behind him, startling him, and his hand immediately moved to cover up his eyes against the light. A woman's voice cut through the blaze of light as the door closed again. "I'm sorry. I know it hurts."

When the light went away, he lifted his eyes again. The darkness sharpened his vision so that it was twice as good as it had been looking out the window. The woman was familiar, in the distantly blank way that the people in the bus had been. She was tall and beautiful, with dark skin, pale eyes and snow-white hair, wearing a white lab coat and nice clothes beneath it. In the shadows, she was like a gentle ghost, and as she came to his side to press a hand to his forehead, the touch was cool and comfortable.

"Well, your temperature has certainly gone down since yesterday." The woman wrote a few notes in the little book that she had brought along with her. "It's good to see that your body and mind are realigning themselves a bit better, Kouichi."

The boy looked up at her, confused. "Kou…ichi?"

"Yes. That's you're name." The woman smiled and mussed his hair a bit. "Do you remember?"

He looked down at his lap, face falling. The woman sighed, patting his shoulder warmly. "It's all right. It will come eventually, don't worry." She gave him a warm smile. "Soon the Professor will be able to safely knit your neural connections back into the proper order, and hopefully that will make it easier for you to…"

A crash of thunder suddenly lit up the room, making the boy jump, and the first thing he did was fling himself underneath the covers, hiding his head under the blankets. Storm looked up at the ceiling with a slight smile, and went to the window to close the curtains. "Sorry about that, Kouichi. But the forecast did predict this storm, and I can't mess with the weather too much or people will start to get suspicious of the Institute."

The came back over and lifted the blanket to look at the boy. "You don't have to worry. Nothing is going to hurt you here."

"…It just startled me." He whispered softly, and brought his head back out like a turtle.

"I see." The woman smiled and pat his head again, gently encouraging him. "Please come out. I need to do a few more tests, just to make sure you're doing all right."

Kouichi crawled back out, sitting up in the bed. He was currently wearing a pair of baby blue pajamas, made out thin flannel, with the top three buttons of the shirt undone specifically so the woman and other doctors could get at his chest more easily. The woman removed a stethoscope from around her neck and checked his heartbeat, then his pulse, and used a small hand-held machine that tracked his brain wave development, for the Professor's side of the research. All the while, she kept scribbling notes down in the little book that she had brought with her, and Kouichi kept stealing glances out the window, down the road where the van had disappeared.

"Well, that should just about do it." She sighed, packing away her equipment. "If you'd like, I can show you where the living room is, and you could watch a little television, or…"

"Ma'am?"

The woman paused and sighed lightly. "Call me Storm. What is it?"

Kouichi pointed towards the window, hoping that his message could be communicated. "Where did they go?"

"Oh…" Storm put a hand to her mouth, contemplating her answer. "They went into town, for a movie. They…would've liked to have you along, but if you had fallen asleep during the film it would not have turned out very well…"

Kouichi looked down again. "I…I see."

Storm sighed compassionately and reached over to brush his hair out of his eyes. "Don't worry. When you get your thoughts together, you'll be able to go to movies…games…and everything, just like everyone else. You can even go back to school."

"…I guess." He muttered, still looking at his sheets. He couldn't really remember what any of the words meant, couldn't connect them to anything that he'd done, but he just knew - he didn't want to wait. He wanted to do it all _now_…

At about that moment, the light of the hallway and the streetlamp outside suddenly cut out as suddenly as though someone had flipped a switch. Storm gasped lightly, startled by the sudden darkness, and moved to open the door and look out at the hall.

"Blackout." She sighed, glancing back for just a moment. "I need to go take care of this. I'll be right back, okay?"

He blinked once, twice. "Okay."

She gave him one last smile, then disappeared down the hallway.

Kouichi sat on his bed, just staring into the darkness, and after a moment, his eyes trailed to the window again. The day was dark from the storm, just barely more light than the darkness of night. He could clearly see the grounds, the wide open lawn, the driveway arching out to meet the road, the black street stretching through the trees down to the glowing, hazy mass that was the city below.

He couldn't remember what the days before had been like, nor could he even begin to imagine exactly what the following days would hold. But somehow, he just knew - he wouldn't get a chance like this again.

"_I want to go, too…"_

The window opened with a simple push. The cool, wet grass of the lawn against his bare feet encouraged him, invited him. The darkness soothed his eyes, blocked the burning light, and guided him to the road.

He smiled when he reached the wet solidness of the sidewalk. After a moment of pause, looking back at the building, he drew in the courage that he needed to keep going. And with that, he set off in the same direction that the van had gone, not noticing the rain, the cold, or the hard ground.

He was going, too.

_**TBC…**_

I'm quite fond of the way this turned out, really…

If you were confused about Kouichi's current 'condition', it's very simple. When he died, Junpei (zapping his heart) brought him back to life, but Dusk's spirit didn't come with him. However, this meant that the portion of his mind that Dusk had forced himself into when Kouichi was four was left basically useless. His long-term memories have been mostly wiped, and his short-term memory isn't working at all. So every day when he goes to sleep, he forgets everything that happened the day before. So every day is like a new day. Fun, ne? Stay tuned for chapter 2!


	2. Kinetic Connections

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Digimon or X-Men Evolution. So sue me. No wait…don't._

**The X-Evolution - Memories**

**Chapter 2: Kinetic/Connections**

Kouichi stumbled through the near-darkness of the storm, the sudden squall of rain that had risen up the moment after he had left the institute sending a bucketful of water right into his face. The darkness was nice - his eyes were finally relaxed, the only light being a soft overcast from the setting sun that was managing to fight its way through the thick clouds - but he could hardly move for the rain and the wind pushing against him.

He'd lost the road in the torrent of the storm, wandering off the path and away from the burning, painful lights of the city. There were things blocking his way in some directions, tall, hard things - tree? They felt like they had bark. So he was wandering in the forest…? Where had the van gone, where had…?

Suddenly, the ground seemed to slide out from under his bare feet, and he fell face-forward into a plot of earth that was more liquid than solid with the rain. He groaned, lifting his head, and found his eyes blinded by the mud.

He coughed a few times, rubbing his eyes, then paused. In the sudden complete lack of vision, he could see something. It was something important. He knew it was.

It was a boy, his age…no, younger, but not too much, maybe a few years? He had long black hair pulled into a ponytail and a bandanna that was tied around the base like a girl's ribbon. His eyes were dark blue and held the aura of being cold, and yet they seemed to radiate a bit of warmth as he looked down at him.

It was him. Nobody.

Nobody was next to him, partially covered by blankets - it was like they had been sleeping beside each other, in a large bed. The room was familiar somehow, but it wasn't the room that he had been in before, it was smaller and there were more lights outside - they were in the middle of the city, a city, any city. Nobody was raised on one elbow, looking down at Kouichi where he lay, gently brushing hair from his eyes to clear his vision in the same way.

He was whispering something, something soft. Kouichi couldn't remember what it was, but it looked as though it had been soothing. Almost as if…he had been…

Before Kouichi could get a grasp on the thought flitting through his mind, a flash of light pushed through his pupils and burned his eyes painfully. He wrenched back from it, covering his eyes, and once he thought it might be safe, he cleared the mud away and cracked his eyes open to see.

There was nothing there. Just him, in the middle of a forest of trees and earth and rain.

Kouichi blinked a few times, trying to get the light out of his eyes. What had caused it? Had been…lightening?

But no, it came again, closer this time. A burst of light in the depth of the forest, flashing between the trees with all the fury of a bolt of lightening, but it sprung from the ground. This time, one of the trees was caught in the heat and literally exploded, the flames that it would have spread being doused by the pouring rain.

Kouichi let out a cry and stumbled back, covering his eyes. Another explosion echoed through the woods and he ran from it, his bare feet slipping on the mud and catching on the roots that rose above the surface. He could hear them coming closer and closer, each blast sending a little bit more heat in his direction, a little bit more light flooding from behind him. They were chasing him, the explosion were _chasing_ him…

"L-Leave me alone!" He begged, stumbling with his arm over his eyes. "Please, just leave me alone! Go away!"

His foot caught on a root and fell again, tumbling head over heels down the slope of the hill. He crashed against the trunk of a tree waiting for him halfway down, throwing the breath out of his body. At that moment, a flash of fire and light burst just above him, illuminating the entire grove, and he dove to cover his head with his arms, quivering in fear.

Booted footsteps made their careful way down the muddy grove, pausing just a few feet away.

"'Eh now, there's no reason thus be scared, boy."

The voice was male, older and unfamiliar, without even the twinge of familiarity that came with all the people at the Institute, and it sported a heavy accent that he couldn't have recognized for the life of him. Kouichi uncurled from his fetal position just slightly, looking up to find the source of the voice.

It was, as he had originally assume, an older man of at least 21, with fiery red hair and dark eyes that he couldn't quite tell what color they were, except that they weren't normal. He wore a black headband that shadowed his face like a mask, and there was a likable, but mischievous, smile on his attractive face. He wore a long brown trench coat, currently pulled tight around the rest of his outfit to guard against the rain, and there was a small playing card in his hand that was glowing only just bright enough to illuminate his face. A brown duffle bag rested on his back, almost empty.

"There now, yeh see?" he said, his words heavy, accented strangely, and slight slurred with the dialect. "There ain't no reason tuh be scared a ol' Gambit. Ah ain't gonna do nothing' tuh hurt yeh."

Kouichi hesitated for just a moment, then slowly put his hand on the ground and pushed up to get a better look at the man. Both of them were soaked through. "Who…Who are you?"

"Ah already told yeh, didn' I? Gambit's the name." The man winked at him, the mischievous grin adding a bright glint to the depths of his dark eyes. "Yeh don't have tuh worry. Ah'm a friend, yeh know."

"A…" Kouichi hesitated a moment longer, then a hopeful expression spread over his face. "A friend? Really?"

"Really really." Gambit flashed his grin again, knocking on the orb of darkness that had surrounded the boy, locking him in to a little protective cocoon. "Now how 'bout you get rid of this thing and let ol' Gambit in tuh give yeh a hand, huh?"

Kouichi blinked several times, looking at the wall of darkness. He had no idea how it had happened - it had simply kicked in out of defensive instinct, to protect him from the explosions and the light. He reached out, trying to get a feel for it, to understand what had happened, but the instant he touched it from the inside, the bubble of protection shattered and vanished.

Instantly, he was soaked in the pouring rain, and he drew back suddenly from the cold. Gambit chuckled, pulling the duffle around where he could reach it, and undid its fastenings. "Look at yeh, in yer jammies and everythin'. Not really up tuh thinkin' ahead, are yeh?"

Kouichi looked up at him, somewhat helpless and at a loss for words. The rain and his hair was falling into his eyes, and his relatively thin flannel pajamas were sticking to his skin like saran wrap to a sandwich, the water suctioning it to reveal exactly how thin and small his body really was."

Gambit chuckled again and pulled a smaller jacket, black and waterproof, from the bag to set around the boy's shoulders. "There yeh go. Much better, am Ah right?"

"Y-Yeah…" Kouichi pulled the windbreaker more tightly around himself, looking down at the mud he sat in. "Thank you."

"Ain't nothin' to it, buddy." The man stood, got his footing, and reached down to hoist the boy to his feet. He put his arm around the smaller figure's shoulder, offering a little more cover from the rain. "Now com'on, let's git. We gotta bit of tuh go from here."

Kouichi allowed himself to be lead along, guided away from trees and mud slicks and other obstacles easily. He turned his eyes from the glowing card, shutting them - even though the light was very faint, little more than a bright aura, looking at it felt like he was being stabbed by a needle, right in the eye. "Where are we going?"

"It ain't too far," Gambit said, his voice reassuringly confident, focused on a goal, though the smirk remained constantly and made his words sound almost ominous. "Don'tcha worry, boy. Meh friends and I are gonna make sure to take real good care a yeh…"

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"Professor, are you _sure_ you can't locate him anywhere around?"

Xavier sighed at Storm's question, though he knew very well that it was more than justified. It was worrisome enough that the Institute's private generator was having power problems - more so because the wires that had snapped appeared to have been cut or seared away - but in the midst of all the confusion, Kouichi had vanished, practically into thin air. The Professor knew very well that the boy was not in his right mind, having examined him personally just after returning from Siberia, and the idea that he was wandering the streets of the city by himself in such a vulnerable state…

But there was nothing that he could do.

"No, Storm, I'm not sure," he sighed, folding his hands in his intense, concentrated expression. "He may be around here, it is a very distinct possibility. But if he is, I'm having trouble…recognizing him."

Ororo looked as though she wanted to scream, but forced herself to remain calm. "What do you _mean_, Professor? How can you not recognize him?"

"His mind has changed, Storm." Xavier whispered patiently. "Without Dusk, it's not the same as it was. It's not even the same as it was the last time I looked into it. It is constantly changing, trying to rebuild itself, and because of that, I'm having trouble getting a lock on him."

"But…But Professor…"

"I'm doing everything I can, Storm." The Professor soothed, patting her arm warmly. "Just be patient."

"But we don't have time to be patient, Professor," The woman wrung her hands in frustration, biting her lip. "Hank and the students will be home soon. What are we going to tell Kouji? He's already under so much stress, after what happened in Siberia and Kouichi's amnesia and his powers just vanishing so suddenly…I'm afraid of what he's going to do when we tell him that we've lost his brother again, I really am. What if he does something…?"

"That won't happen, Storm." The Professor assured her, and began to turn away towards the door. "Just have faith. We'll find Kouichi soon enough, and until then we have to have faith that Kouji will hold out as well. Whatever you do, never loose faith in them."

Ororo sighed as the Professor left, aiming his wheelchair for the hall which lead to Cerebro. He really was going to do an all-out search - world-wide, if he had to. Even if the black really had been sabotage, and Kouichi had been spirited away by someone else, the Professor had to be able to find him…hadn't he?

A light rumbling noise drew her attention to the window. The Institute's white, mutant-resistant, safety-modified travel van was rumbling up the driveway, full of kids who were laughing and talking happily about their day in town. She sighed slightly - Kouji was there. He was coming back already.

She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself and ready her heart for what was ahead. Then she made her way to the front hall, already planning her mind how to break the horrible news.

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

Kouichi pulled the windbreaker more tightly around him, watching uncertainly as his new benefactor poked and prodded around the earth of the otherwise abandoned clearing. After about ten minutes, he finally decided that it was time to ask what he wanted to ask: "What are you doing?"

"Just tryin' to find the front door, don'tcha worry." Gambit glanced at him and winked brightly. "Yeh just hang out there fer a moment, and I'll get us set up real quick."

He poked and prodded a few more times before finally finding what he had been looking for - a seam in the earth, just a small line that had neither earth nor grass. Gambit grinned again, this time more to himself than to anyone else, and pulled another card from the deck in his coat. He held it between his fingers just a moment, focusing his power on it, and the card began to glow as kinetic energy pulsed through it. The man slipped it into the seam and stepped back. There was an explosion, but not a large one, just enough to throw open the trapdoor that had been imbedded in the ground, the false grass that had covered it remaining firmly stuck to the top.

The door revealed a long set of metal stairs, rough and unfinished, but easy to walk down. They looked as though they had been welded together from old construction equipment or railroad tracks, but the craftsmanship was remarkable, there wasn't a seam to be seen. Even the walls were lined with the roughly-made metal, leading down into the darkness of an underground base.

Kouichi felt himself drawn to the darkness. Cool, crisp, innocent darkness, with no pain, no rainwater, no cold…

Gambit turned back and winked at the boy. "Home sweet home, at least for now Looks nice, eh?"

"Y-Yeah…" Kouichi took a step forward, his feet sinking a bit further in the mud.

"Well, com'on, then, don't be shy." Gambit reached back, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder to pull him to the edge of the stairs. "You first. Ah got yeh back."

Kouichi hesitated, out of instinct, but he the hand on his shoulder gave a bit of comfort and he moved forward. The metal was rough against his bare feet - he could feel it rubbing away at the calluses and blisters that had formed on the soles after his long walk from the Institute.

He bit his lip against the pain and moved forward, Gambit just behind him to close the door. The walk down was dry, and dark. Kouichi liked that part, even if his feet were leaving a few splotches of blood behind as he stepped.

At the base of the stairs, there was suddenly a light - a small one, a lamp, but it was bright enough that Kouichi pulled away from it, hiding his eyes in Gambit's jacket as he instinctively looked for shelter. From the direction of the light, a deep voice chuckled. "Looks as though Dusk's little visit had more effect than was assumed."

"Ah, he'll be good in a minute." Gambit chuckled, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Tough kid, though. Wandered a good eight miles on his own a'fore Ah found 'em. An' even when Ah did, 'e put up ah good fight. Ain't seen a defense 'at good in quite ah while."

"Of course." Kouichi pulled his eyes away somewhat hesitantly, slowly adjusting through the light that pushed through his eyelids as the voice spoke again. "After all, his body held the soul of one of the most powerful mutants of recent generations. It would have to be that strong in order to survive the experience at all."

Finally, Kouichi's vision cleared. He blinked through the light and finally got a good look at the mysterious speaker.

It was a man, much older than Gambit, with white hair that was pulled back sharply at the temples. His skin and eyes were exceptionally pale, as though he had been the one hiding himself from the light of day these past long weeks, and his body held the memory of amazing strength even though his muscles had withered a bit with age. He was dressed head to toe in royal purples and dark blood reds, covering every inch of his body from boots to gloves to a high-collared top. He was seated at a stern-looking metal desk, without decorations or even paper to be worked on, his gloved hands crossed coolly over the smooth metal.

The crystal blue eyes scanned from Gambit's face down to the boy. They made eye contact for just a moment while his expression remained blank. Then a cool, conniving little smile slide over his face.

"Hello, young one. Welcome home."

_**TBC…**_

To all of you having dirty thoughts because of Kouichi's memory…You aught to be ashamed of yourselves! Kouichi was staying over for the night, and he had a nightmare. Honestly, some people…

If you're not familiar with X-Men, Gambit is a character from Louisiana whose power is to put pure kinetic energy into an object, causing an explosion when he wishes it to. His weapon of choice is playing cards, and his accent is very distinctly Cajun. For those who do know X-Men, I'm well aware that Gambit it a good guy in the original version, but in Evolution, he works for Magneto. Sorry, but that's how the cookie crumbles. He's still an awesome character. They hinted several times that he might change sides, along with the equally-awesome Colossus, but the series was canceled before that came to pass.

The base in this chapter is based on the one that appears at Alkali Lake in X-3.


	3. Trust Twisted

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Digimon or X-Men Evolution. So sue me. No wait…don't._

**The X-Evolution - Memories**

**Chapter 3: Trust/Twisted**

"He's…He's gone?"

Storm closed her eyes and gave one small nod, keeping her head lowered. "I…I'm afraid so. He seems to have just…disappeared."

Kouji stared at her for another long while, his eyes wide, then he sank backwards into one of the arm chairs that decorated the Professor's study. He wasn't breathing well - anyone with a weaker constitution would have passed out by now - and each one came in short little gasps. He buried his eyes in his hands, hiding from the others, and didn't look at anyone.

No one looked at him, either. Takuya was still staring at Storm and the Professor, his mouth hanging open awkwardly. Kurt, next to him, was in a similar state, yellow eyes giving him a haunting appearance. Izumi had drawn in on herself, biting one finger in a shy manner, with Tomoki holding his hands over his head and Junpei gripping his fists together, trying to control the frustrated sparks that were flying from them. Kitty had her hands over her mouth in a state of shock, with Rogue gritting her teeth and Bobby looking deflated on either side of her. Scott was by the wall, trying to comfort Jean even as he kept a level head about the entire situation.

"Did you check the surveillance videos?" Cyclops asked seriously, keeping his voice carefully even. "The alarm systems records, or the monitors?"

"I'm afraid that it would not be much help, Scott." The Professor sighed, lacing his fingers over his lap. "The Institute's power was completely shut down, all except for Cerebro's back-up power generator, and it took fifteen minutes to switch over to alternate power. Kouichi…disappeared…sometime during that fifteen minutes. There are no records."

"Of course there aren't." Kouji muttered, his words harsh, but barely audible. "There never are…"

One by one, all eyes carefully traced across the room to the boy. There was something strange about his tone, something…dangerous. "Kouji…"

"Shut up!" Kouji snapped his head up, cutting Storm off in mid-sentence, and was on his feet in just seconds. "What kind of idiot do you take me for?"

Kurt slipped forward with and awkward little grin, his ears twitching brightly. "Hey, hey now. There's nothin' to vorry about, Kouji. Everybody vill get right on lookin' for him, an' ve'll find 'im in no time."

"Yeah, _sure_ we will." Kouji growled. "If he's even still alive."

Another chill. Junpei shuddered and shook his head, raising his still-sparking hands in defense. "Hey, dude, chill out. No reason to be so glum, I'm sure your bro's just fine. They wouldn't let anything happen to him."

"Nothing they wouldn't do themselves." Kouji's eyes drifted towards the Professor in accusation. "But everybody here's been willing to do more than that. Willing to _kill_ him." He growled a bit and gripped his hands into fists, moving away from everyone until there wasn't anyone that he couldn't see with the turn of his head. "Easier to kill him than control that _thing_. Better to get rid of the risk altogether. Am I right?"

Xaviar sighed, gathering his thoughts in an attempt to calm the boy's train of thought before it got too far. "Now Yang…"

"Quit playing around, you little punk." Scott pulled himself away from Jean, moving forward protectively. Kouji had always done something to rub Cyclops the wrong way, just because of his attitude, and acting like this when they were trying to help him didn't help anything. "That isn't what happened, and you know it!"

"You really one to talk, One-Eye." Kouji snarled back, glaring at him harshly. "You were more ready to do it than anybody! You would've killed him yourself!"

"We didn't have a choice back then!"

"No more than you have now!"

Kitty stepped forward, reaching out for him. "Yang…"

"Don't call me that!" He shouted, knocking her away almost violently. "Don't touch me! Any of you! Get away from me!"

He turned and locked eyes with Takuya, and for a split instant, he was calm. Flare moved, grabbing his friend by the shoulders. "Kouji, you're not thinking straight. Just calm down and think about this a bit!"

"Get out of my way, Takuya." Kouji whispered coldly, growling under his breath. His hands moved to the boy's wrists, gripping them lightly, just holding himself back from pulling them away.

"Kouji…"

"Get _out of my way_!"

"Rogue…" Scott began, but the girl had already started to move.

She stepped forward determinedly, pulling the glove off of her left hand as she moved towards the struggling pain. Her hand now barred, she brought it down, carefully avoiding Flare's hands, on the barred joint between Kouji's shoulder and his neck.

The boy jerked, feeling everything - his emotions, his strength, his energy - be sucked up by the girl's touch. He rolled his head back, eyes wide, and met Rogue's brown ones, which were narrowed with concentration and a certain amount of pain. She shrugged at him. "Sorry, pal."

Kouji open his mouth as though to answer her and promptly keeled over into Takuya, unconscious.

Rogue pulled her hand back, covering it again, and everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief. Wolverine stepped over to relieve Takuya of his motionless burden, hoisting the unconscious boy over one shoulder and helping Flare up with the other hand.

Takuya's eyes turned to Kouji worriedly. "Is he…okay?"

"He'll be fine." The Professor assured, wheeling himself over. "He just needs to rest a bit, to…regain his composure. Logan, if you would please take him to his room?"

Wolverine nodded with a light grunt and bore his charge out the door, with a still-worried Takuya on his heels.

Storm sighed, putting a hand to her heart. Even without his powers, the state that Kouji had been in was…frightening. If he _had _been in control of his abilities, he could have caused some serious damage to all of them, even with Takuya standing in the way…No. She couldn't think about things like that. He just needed to calm down a bit.

She turned her attention elsewhere, to the girl who was standing just near her. The dual-colored bangs were falling into her brown eyes as she stared down at her gloved hand, processing through the information that had no doubt flooded her mind. "Rogue? Are you all right?"

"Y-Yeah…I'm fine…" Rogue shook herself lightly, looking up at them. Her eyes were lightly teary, something that was almost completely unexpected from the usually sullen girl. "He…He ain't mad, Professor. Yang ain't really mad. He's just…he's scared…"

"I know." The man patted her carefully-covered arm warmly. "I know, Rogue, and don't worry. Everything will be fine. It's just going to take a little time…"

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

The floor was cold, but it really did feel good.

Those words were the first thoughts that flitted into his mind when the boy opened his eyes. He knew what the thoughts had meant, even if they were hazy and indistinct, but for some reason he couldn't figure out why the situation seemed strange.

He planted his hand against the cool, smooth metal floor, lifting his head out of the thin, lumpy pillow, and as he picked himself up off the ground, a rough blanket slid from his shoulders. He blinked around him awkwardly, finding himself in total darkness, not a single speck of light anywhere around him. It was small - about the size of a large closet, really - but before he could take in any more details, the door slid open and the sudden addition of light burned his eyes.

A deep, sultry female voice echoed through the room, icy and sweet at the same time. "It seems that he's awake, Eric."

"Indeed," a second voice, this one male, older and quite a bit colder. "And it seems that the reports of increased photosensitivity were as accurate as ever."

He whimpered a bit, curling up again and keeping his eyes clamped shut. The sound of heavy, measured footsteps came closer, treading gently, and the male voice came again. "Here you are, Yin. These should make it easier on you."

Something cool slide against his face, slipping past his temples and hooking over his ears. Hesitantly, his eyes fluttered open to check his new condition. He now wore pair of thin glasses that seemed to have been made of pure metal, tempered into a thin, yet sturdy, substance that could be seen through, but kept the level of light at a range that his eyes could tolerate.

He blinked several times and lifted his head to see his benefactor. The man was older, much older, with a thin, pale face and white hair. He wore a royal red-purple outfit, crafted from fine, yet sturdy, material and his eyes were a cool, pale blue. Behind him stood a tall woman with red hair and yellow eyes, both of which were in perfect harmony with her violently blue skin, dressed, though not exactly modestly, in white clothes.

He turned back to the man and realized something important. He didn't know either of them.

"Who…Who are you?" He turned his head again, then realized that he couldn't even remember his own name. "Who…Who am I?"

The man smirked lightly, the light grin sliding over his face in a crooked manner. "A mind so broken even Charles could not put it back together, even after weeks of work."

The boy was very confused, turning his head to one side and blinking. "…Huh?"

"There's no need to worry, Yin." Yin…was that his name? They kept calling him that. "No harm can come to you now."

The boy…Yin, he supposed his name must be…slowly picked himself off the ground. He felt dirty, and his hair was stuck down against his forehead in wild mats, dried to an uncomfortable crisp. His clothes, thin flannel pajamas, were caked with dried mud. Part of him knew that there must be more important things to ask - where was he? Why was he here? Who were these people to him? Why he couldn't he remember? - but there was only one thing that managed to make it to his lips.

"I feel sick." The words came out as a pathetic groan, and as he said them, he sank of himself, gripping his stomach. Tears sprang to his eyes from the sheer lack of comfort, and he sniffled.

"Of course you do," said the man almost dismissively, putting a hand on Yin's shoulder to lead him kindly towards the door. "I suppose it would be natural, after what you have been through - Mystique!"

"Yes, Eric?" The woman said silkily, stepping forward like a cat tiptoeing across cotton.

The man…Eric?…gave Yin's shoulder a gentle push, which sent him into the woman's arms. "Will you help him get cleaned up, my dear? We'll be leaving soon, and it wouldn't do for him to become ill on the way home."

"Certainly." Mystique put her hand on the boy's shoulder in 'Eric's place, guiding him out the door and into a smooth metal hallway. "Come along, Yin."

The boy followed her, somewhat uncertainly, but the promise of becoming clean was too good to resist. He turned back for just a moment and met eyes with Eric. The man gave him another relatively pleasant smile and a very small salute before disappearing back down the hall.

Yin stopped hesitating and allowed Mystique to lead him to the bitingly cold, freezing, most wonderful shower he could remember.

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"Are certain, officer? You haven't seen anyone matching his description?" Storm forced her voice to remain calm, though the news made her want to throw the phone across the room and melt it with a lightening bolt powerful enough to short out every phone line in the city. "I see. No, it's all right, officer. We'll just have to keep looking. Will you keep an eye out for him? Thank you. Really, thank you. Good night."

She hung up and sighed, running a hand through her snow-white hair before she turned to the Professor. "There's been no sign of him in town, no reports of trouble or anything."

"It was a very slim chance," Professor Xavier sighed, shaking his head. "But you did get them to file a missing person report?"

"Yes, he said he'd get to it right away."

"Good…Good."

Storm bit her lip, uncertain, angry and upset. She wasn't even completely certain who she should be angry at, but the feeling would not go away. If there had been no sign of Kouichi in town, by anyone, that could only mean two things. One, he had wandered in the wrong direction and was now lost somewhere out in the surrounding woods, or two…someone had taken him.

The last possibility sent chills down her spine.

"What do we do now, Professor?" She asked softly, keeping her eyes low.

"The only thing that we can," Xavier said, just as softly, focusing out the window at his Institute's brightly-lit garden. "We'll have to investigate every lead. Our next step should be clear enough - we have to make sure that Dusk's previous followers have not returned to take their leader back."

Storm lifted her head, narrowing the silvery-blue eyes. "But we don't even know where they are, Professor!"

"No…" The man sighed, shaking his head. "We don't."

"…I do."

Both of the adults looked up in surprise. Zypher…Izumi…was leaning against the doorframe, holding onto it was both hands in a shy manner. She was dressed, to their surprise, in her new X-Men uniform - a modified version of her old attire. The shirt was black, with long, loose sleeves and a large purple 'X' curling over the chest, coming only to the base of her ribs so that her stomach was shown. The pants were specially fit, black with purple lining, and ended with a light flare above black boots.

"I know where Marcus is," she repeated again, keeping her voice calm. "I can find them from there."

"Izumi…" Storm wavered a moment, then regained her composure. "Are you sure?"

"I was just about to leave." Zypher said shyly, stepping completely into the study. Her step was very light, even in the boots, and she seemed to be walking across air even though her feet were firmly on the carpet. "They're probably the only ones who would do something like this. If they know anything, I'll find out. I promise."

Storm's hand flew to the wind-user's shoulder. "But you can't go alone!"

"I don't have a choice." Izumi insisted, looking up at her. "If anyone else comes with me, even Tomoki, they'll think they're under attack again. They've gotten really paranoid, they think everyone's out to get them."

Storm, now at a lost for words, turned to the Professor for help. The man was deep in thought, his fingers twined together, and he remained that way for several minutes before he finally sighed. "Yes…I believe that you are right, Zypher. It would be…for the best."

Izumi's eyes lit up and she bowed with a smile on her face. "Thank you so much, Professor! I promise I'll do everything I can to help."

"I know you will." The Professor moved to his desk and opened a small drawer, pulling out a small black orb marked with an 'X' positioned on a bracelet-sized black chain. "Take this with you. This way we can make sure you stay safe."

Storm took it, crossing to the girl, and placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Please be careful."

"Thanks." Izumi sighed, slipping the tracker on. "I will."

She turned away from them and moved across the room to the wide windows. She pushed open the large panes and positioned herself on the ledge. She turned back to the two adults with a bright wave, then kicked off and let the wind carry her away.

_**TBC…**_

In case you've forgotten - 'Marcus' is the real name of Mercurious, leader of Dusk's former followers and Izumi's cousin. Just to remind you.

Please forgive the lame argument scene...It was really a struggle, but I wanted it to come out.


	4. Familiar Family

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Digimon or X-Men Evolution. So sue me. No wait…don't._

**The X-Evolution - Memories**

**Chapter 4: Familiar/Family **

Yin looked around curiously as he entered the main room of their makeshift base with Mystique at his side. It was a vast area with a solid metal dome for a roof, apparently seamless, as all the walls were here. The only objects in this room were a metal desk, which rose out of the floor effortlessly, three metal chairs and two doors - the one they had just entered from and the one that lead to the surface.

Magneto was there, sitting behind the desk with a regal, commanding expression, while Gambit…who had introduced himself as Mystique had been preparing Yin's small but wonderful shower…leaned against the wall not far away, sporting a packed duffle bag over one shoulder. The red-haired man looked up at them with his strange eyes and smirked when he saw Yin. "Well, well. You're looking right sharp, Frère."

Yin dropped his eyes down and mumbled a small 'thank you.' He was wearing the new clothes that Mystique had given him - a loose-fitting grey shirt with long sleeves, black pants, black gloves and sturdy black boots.

"It ain't bad," Gambit continued, pushing away from the wall and coming over to him. "But it could be better. 'Ere's just somethin' missin'…"

He snapped his fingers in realization and dug into his bag. He pulled out a long black trench coat, faded and worn with age, but still more than usable, which was obviously several sizes too small for him. With a flamboyant gesture, he motioned for the smaller boy to raise his arms and slipped it onto him. " 'Ere now. 'At's the perfect touch, 'at is."

"Indeed." Magneto smiled confidentially, folding his hands in a regal manner. "Don't you think so, Yin?"

At his prompting, Yin tested the jacket's fit. It was a little tight around the elbows, but it did feel…good. He looked up and nodded, letting a little smile slip onto his face. "Uh-huh."

"Good, good." Magneto ran his gloved hand over the desk, scooping up tiny pieces of metal that had been scattered across it. "Now, for a little test…"

In one swift motion, he'd melded the pieces into two small, but sturdy, pure metal orbs, and thrown it at Yin at high speed. The boy shouted in surprise, reeling back, and just as he raised his arm to defend himself, a thin layer of darkness sprung up around him and solidified. The metal orbs made a crunching sound as they collided with the inky blackness and fell to the ground harmlessly.

Magneto chuckled a bit, standing and crossing the room. "Ah. Impressive instincts, I must say. Very impressive."

He gently touched the thin barrier, drawing Yin's attention up to him. The man was careful to keep his face soft, open and gently reassuring. "Now, can you do this willingly, while consciously thinking about it?"

"Conscious…what?" The boy blinked helplessly, unable to comprehend.

Magneto tapped the barrier gently. "Try to take this down."

Yin hesitated a moment, unsure of both himself and his companions now, but closed his eyes and pulled the shield down of his own accord. Magneto's grin widened just a bit. "Now, remember how that felt, and try to bring it back."

Yin licked his lips slightly and closed his eyes again. The barrier flickered back into place, faded in and out a few times before it finally became stable.

"Good, good." Magneto nodded as the barrier flickered away. "A little work is needed, but we'll have plenty of time to work on the way…"

Yin gulped a little, uncurling from his former position and standing slowly. "On the way…Where?"

Magneto smiled a bit and patted the boy's head. "Don't you worry about that. You'll see soon enough…"

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

Kouji was awake so suddenly it almost hurt.

He groaned at the pounding in his head, a strangely familiar sort of rhythm that built up a pressure behind his eyes. Another groan slipped out at the very thought, and he covered his eyes with his hands, pushing his head back into the pillow. He was lying on his back, in familiar sheets…his bed, in his room, in the Institute…and he felt absolutely exhausted.

It took him quite a while to realize that there was someone there with him.

Rogue sighed lightly and - her hands safely covered by the black leather of her gloves - reached out to press a cold washrag against his face and neck. "'Ere. This usually helps 'til the sickness wear off."

Kouji looked up at her, locking eye for just a moment. In that split second, the memories came rushing back into his mind like a freight train. His brother was gone. Disappeared without a trace. His powers had abandoned him. His energy had been stretched to its limits. He'd blown up, taken his frustration out on…on everyone. On Scott, on the Professor, on…on Takuya. And then, Rogue had…had…

He rolled over, yanking away from the girl's touch and sliding over as far as he could from her. Rogue sighed and lowered the rag quietly, not pushing what she knew he didn't want. "Look…Kouji. Ah know what yer goin' through now…"

"Sure you do." Kouji snapped, a biting tone.

"Ah do," she insisted, not backing down. "Ah saw it. When Ah touched yeh, Ah saw everythin'."

Kouji winced at the idea, but said nothing, so she continued. "Ah know yer worried about him, an' I know yer not really mad at anybody. Yer scared."

Kouji growled a bit. "I am not."

"Ah know yeh are," Rogue stressed again. "An' there ain't nothin' wrong with it. Yer scared that yer never gonna see yer brother again, an' yer upset 'cause yeh feel like yeh couldn' help him when he needed it. There ain't nothing wrong with any of that. Yeh just gotta let us help yeh."

Another long silence. Rogue sighed, deciding that it was relatively safe enough now to reach out and touch his shoulder through the blankets. "Look, Ah know it's tough puttin' yer trust in other people fer something like this. But trust me, it's a lot easier than tryin' to go it alone, 'specially with somethin' like this. Yeh can't do this on yer own. Let us help yeh."

Kouji was quite for a long while, then he reached back and seized the girl by her covered wrist, half-turning to glare at her.

"Stay out of my mind," He snarled savagely. "All of you, just stay out. Don't touch me. Get the hell away from me. Leave me _alone_."

He threw her hand away and rolled over stubbornly again, this time pulling the blankets up over his head. Rogue sighed, admitting defeat, and showed herself out the door without even saying goodbye.

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

The ride was bumpy, put pleasant enough.

They rode in a machine that was something like a cross between a helicopter and a small jet plane, melded together in the smooth, pure way that Magneto could work with metal. The inside was not very spacious, in fact, it was about large enough for the four of them, but it was cozy, with a few seats set just enough apart that conversation could be held easily.

Mystique was the one piloting the vehicle, and using impressive skill and grace to keep the ride smooth. Magneto was beside her in the copilot's chair, but he was not doing anything, content simply to watch the woman do her work. Yin sat in the back with Gambit, who was, quite kindly, guiding him through the basics of his power.

"Now would'ya look at that!" The redhead chuckled appreciatively as his own shadow, under Yin's command, moved of its own accord without him lifting a muscle. "Yeh've already got yer knack back, Frère. 'At's a quick study for yeh."

Yin giggled a bit, flattered by the attention and the praise, as well as enjoying the soft tickling sensation that fluttered along the length of his arm and the edge of his mind as he extended his powers out to the shadows. "You really think so?" He smiled, watching the shadows slip back into their normal place. "It feels so good. Have I always been able to do this?"

"All that and more," Magneto answered, looking at the boy's reflection in windshield with a slight smile. "The extent of your abilities has always been very impressive, Yin."

The boy lowered his hand and looked up at the older man with curious eyes. "But…If that's true, how come I can't do it all anymore?"

"Yeh've got the skills tuh do it all, Frère," Gambit assured him, patting his shoulder warmly and then lounging back like a cat. "Yeh just lack the smarts yeh need tuh pull it off."

Yin turned to him, his eyes wide behind the metal glasses. "But why? I don't…I can't remember…anything."

"Of course not." Magneto sighed lightly and ran his hand over the metal casing, checking the ship's support and structure with his own abilities. "I wouldn't expect you to, after what you've been through…"

"What?" Yin asked, leaning forward urgently, bracing his hand on the console between Mystique and the magnetic man. "What have I been through? What are you talking about?"

Magneto sighed again, and this time he turned in his seat to place one gloved hand over the boy's in a gesture of kindness and sympathy. "I don't think that it would be wise to try bringing those memories back to the surface. After all, a mind does not repress part of itself for no reason. The experience must have been horrible, to do this to you. You're lucky that Gambit was able to get you out of there in time."

"Get me…out?" It took a moment for Yin to put the pieces together in his mind, then he turned to the red-haired man with an admirable, adoring expression. "You…You saved me, Gambit-san?"

Gambit grinned brightly. The kid was just too cute, it almost mad him feel bad for lying to him like this. But Magneto had never steered their group wrong, and none of them had any sort of desire to hurt the boy. Besides, the change of surroundings could be good for him. After all, what kind of mental stimulation did they expect the fellow to get if he was just locked in a room all the time?

"I suppose yeh could say somethin' like that, if yeh wanted to."

Yin looked up at him, the blue eyes behind the thin glasses shining with adoration. "Thank you, Gambit-san. Really, thank you!"

Gambit smirked again, patting the boy's head. "Anytime, Frère. Yeh've just gotta call."

"All of us are always willing to help in your time of need," Magneto assured him in a royal, grandiose tone. "That's what a Brotherhood is about, after all."

"A…A Brotherhood."

The word felt strange on Yin's lips, as though he'd never really said it before, but at the same time, it brought back the barest traces of something that could have been a memory. The picture in his mind was fuzzy, to say the least, and it was impossible for him to get a lock on it. But despite that, he felt almost…comforted…by it.

For a moment, he thought that it might have been his own reflection, but it was not so. He could tell, somehow, that this person was not him…he didn't know how he could tell, but he just knew that this was a separate person. This person was smiling at him, gently brushing hair out of his eyes, and laughing, even though both of them were completely soaked, as though someone had dropped a bucket of water on them both.

"Yin. Are you all right?"

Yin shook himself out of his daze, turning to Magneto sharply. "Um…Yes?"

The white-haired man gave him another gentle gaze. "There is room in the back to rest, if you're feeling tired. It will still be a few hours before we reach our destination, and you have expended quite a bit of your energy today. You should rest."

"But…" Yin hesitated, not really sure why, but he was afraid that something would happen if he went to sleep. "But, I…"

"Don't be afraid," Magneto soothed. "No matter what happens, we will all be here when you wake up."

Yin held back a moment longer, but the sleep was already starting to tug at his eyes. He wavered a bit and looked up at Gambit. "You…You promise? All of you?"

"Yeah," Gambit grinned. "Of course we will, Frère."

Yin smiled at them all. "Thank you. All of you."

Then he slowly climbed out of his chair and headed back to his rest.

_**TBC…**_

And my chapter endings still suck. Bleh.

Frère - "Brother" in French. In the original show Gambit has a habit of calling people by a French (Cajun) nickname…He calls many of the X-Men "mon ami" - "my friend", and he calls Jubilee, the youngest member of the group, "petite" - "little." I've always thought it was cute, so I felt like using it.


	5. Sketches Searches

Sorry that this chapter took so long, everyone. Choose any or all of the following as the explanation for why: 1) unexplained physical restlessness, 2) the UIL district competition and preparations thereof, 3) writer's block, 4) finally obtaining a copy of _Moulin Rouge! _on DVD after years of convincing my parents, 5) receiving an honest-to-goodness freelance journalism offer from my local paper even though I have yet to graduate from high school and 6) finally receiving my copy of _The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster_, a delightful satire on the Intelligent Design movement. Any and all of it have to do with my inability to concentrate on the story, which, I know, isn't much of an excuse, but it's all I've got. Sorry.

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Digimon or X-Men Evolution. So sue me. No wait…don't._

**The X-Evolution - Memories**

**Chapter 5: Sketches/Searches**

"Nice place."

Mystique rolled her golden eyes at Gambit's comment. They had arrived at a run-down, abandoned motel about an hour outside of Carson City, Nevada. The general area had been abandoned for the past twenty years, at least, and it showed even through Eric's liberal application of smooth metal to the interior of the run-down building. It was not as though she had been expecting anything fancy - a life of vigilante civil rights activity had never mixed well with the unnecessary comforts of life - but even by her standards, it certainly was _not_ a nice place.

"Hmph. Of _course_ it is." She muttered sarcastically, and pushed their youngest member into the redhead's grasp. "How about you take a moment out of admiring it to show Yin to his room, hm?"

Yin, who had just woken up half an hour before, was still half-asleep and disoriented, hardly looking up as the older members spoke. One could only assume that his memory had once more been wiped and he had no idea who any of them were, but he seemed to be currently stuck in a barely-awake state of easygoing tabula rasa, so it didn't seem to make much of a difference.

Gambit grinned, slipping his arm around the smaller boy's shoulder. "Yes ma'am, Ah'll get right on it. C'mon, Frère."

"N'okay…" Yin mumbled and shuffled into the next room with Gambit in the lead.

The second room was smaller than the first, but not too small, almost cozy in a way that would remind most people of a walk-in closet. The important thing, though, was that there were no widows, no lights and the cracks beneath the doors had been lightly covered in order to block out the light.

""Ere we go, see?" Gambit grinned cheekily in the dark as he tossed a pillow onto the ground and started to unroll a sleeping bag. "This ain't so bad. A bit of leg room for yeh, and it's nice an' dark, just like yeh like 'em, Frère."

Yin peaked over the edge of the metal glasses in a hesitant manner, then pulled them away from his eyes entirely once he realized that it was safe. His eyes traced around the dark room, seeing every edge, every inch, more clearly than he could have even if his eyes were able to work in full light. There was something that had been left discarded in the far corner of the room - a notepad and pen, both very old, remnants of the motel that used to be. For some reason, Yin found himself drawn to them, and was soon crouched down in the corner, working away.

Because of the dark, it took Gambit a little while to notice what the younger member was doing. When he did, he finished laying out the sleeping bag and wandered over to look over his shoulder. "Ne? What'cha up to, Frère?"

The boy didn't answer, completely absorbed by his work. The pen was nearly dry, so it was hard to tell, but he appeared to be drawing…something.

"Yeh seem to like that well enough," Gambit nodded, and lit a card up with energy in order to see. Yin reeled away from even this soft glow, covering his eyes with his arm.

The picture was broken up and more indentions in the page than anything else, but with a little light it revealed itself to be a relatively well-drawn portrait. The figure was a young boy, with long black hair and determined eyes that seemed almost sad. His face was a bit scratchy, though that was probably from the uncertain hand that had been wielding the pen, but it could have been kind or sad depending on how you chose to look at it.

"Hey, now," Gambit commented, dousing the light and lifting an eyebrow in an impressed manner. "Yer pretty good at that, Frère."

Yin picked up the picture, fingering it lovingly. "Thank you…"

Gambit noticed the way the boy caressed the page and grinned a bit. "So, who is it that you've got there? Somebody important to yeh?"

"…Nobody."

Gambit's eyebrow perked again, curiously this time. "Pardon?"

"Nobody," the boy repeated, still staring at the page as though he was hypnotized by it. "It's just…Nobody."

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

The wind rustled around Zephyr's body like a gentle caress, lifting her safely out away from the ground and defying gravity as she flew on. Her long hair rustled behind her as she carefully watched the ground go by below her, keeping track of the roads and the natural landmarks as she compared it to the mental map that she had memorized during her training in the original group.

It had been two days since she left the Institute - a full twelve hours of traveling the day before (two hours of flight at a shot, with at least thirty minutes of rest between each one), a peaceful evening asleep in the woods that made her grateful for the sleeping bag that Xavier had given her, and another three hours of flight today. There was a small, hilly mountain range below her, stretching out maybe ten miles from one end to the other, twisted with complicated niches and cracks, a maze that normal people would be lost in instantly.

Finally, she recognized the dark outcrop towards the bottom of one of the highest peaks, a small shoot of rock that made up a canopy to cover the small hole that penetrated the depth of the mountain. Zypher smirked to herself, bobbing forward on the air and landing gracefully at the entrance. The only thing that moved in her presence was a light layer of dust, which scattered outward in all directions.

She paused a moment, checking for traps - knowing Mercurious's new paranoia, she wouldn't have been the least bit surprised - before she stepped into the cave with careful steps. "Hello? Anyone home?"

For a moment, there was no answer. Then, from the shadows, something stirred, and a pair of silver-blue eyes appeared.

A moment later, Mercurious's slim, pale face moved to where it could be clearly seen even with Izumi's limited level of night vision. He scowled at her, a small frown that would have been called a pout on anyone less regal. "Oh. It's you."

"Cousin Marcus," Izumi sighed, making the older man wince at the informality of it all. "I see you're managing to survive."

There was really very little else to say about the man's appearance - he was even paler than normal, thin and gaunt, with deep shadows underneath his eyes that made his face look more like a skull. His formerly imperial clothes were now thin and ragged with time, and his left arm was bound in a thick cast, still healing from the battle a month before.

"Indeed," Mercurious muttered coldly, glaring at the girl sourly. "Now what is it that you want, Zypher?"

Izumi didn't waver in her serious expression, crossing her arms. "Yin has disappeared."

"Who?"

"_Yin_," she glared a bit more. "The boy you put Dusk's soul into. He's disappeared from the Institute again. Do you know where he is, Mercurious?"

The man observed his cousin a moment longer, then turned away. "He is not here. We don't know anything about him or where he could be."

"Are you sure?"

"We were fools to align ourselves with that creature in the first place," Mercurious snapped coldly, indicating his broken arm. "He has caused nothing but pain for us. Until our time comes, we are now content to remain here, away from the light, where we belong."

He started to disappear again, back into the darkness where his companions were waiting. Izumi stepped forward, a bit desperate. "Marcus, wait. Please. Are you _sure_ you don't know anything about it?"

Mercurious sighed and glanced back at her. "I'm sorry, Zypher. I don't know."

Izumi sighed again, tossing her hair over her shoulder. She turned back towards the entrance again, but paused long enough to glance over her shoulder. "My name is Izumi," she said quietly. "Take care of yourself, okay, Marcus?"

"As you say, young miss." The pale man smirked just a tiny bit as he faded into the dark. "As you say."

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"It's been three days, Eric."

Magneto chuckled from his desk, folding his hands over his hands over the smooth metal. "He is progressing very well."

"It's been three _days_, Eric." Mystique repeated coldly, crossing her arms over her chest. She glowered at her leader in annoyance, her golden eyes narrowed in disgust. "How long are we going to stay here?"

"Oh, come now, my dear, this hasn't been so bad." Magneto waved his hand in a dismissive manner, grinning at her. "I've provided all of your usual accommodations, and it has been worth it, has it not? The boy is improving rapidly. He recalled his basic abilities in less than an hour this morning."

The blue-skinned woman scowled lightly, and her eyes narrowed even further. "I've spent the last three days on reconnaissance work, examining every detail of our plan. We have spent three days examining every aspect of that building and the surrounding location, fine-tuning every little detail."

"Not too much longer, my dear," The man smiled lightly, returning to his plans. "Did you summon the others?"

Mystique set her jaw in a disgusted manner. "Yes, I contacted them. Pyro should be arriving within the next day or so. Those idiots occupying my home are making their own way. Though, knowing their level of competence, I wouldn't wait up."

At that moment, the door to their little basement office opened suddenly, ushering in a thoughtful Gambit, who seemed to be absorbed in a brown, hard-backed sketchbook. The book, along with a small selection of artistic pencils, had been a gift from the kinetic mutant to Yin, with some hopes of stimulating the boy's creative abilities and improve his memory. It was now filled with dozens of doodles and sketches, ranging from as simple as those that would appear in high school math books to intricate pieces of amateur artwork.

Magneto glanced up at their last member, watching him with his eyes but not moving the rest of his body. "I'll take that Yin has managed to fall asleep once more, Gambit?"

"Wha?" The redhead glanced up and shrugged. "Oh. Yah, he's drifted right off."

Magneto nodded sagely, waving his hand lightly. His magnetic powers seized the metallic bindings of the sketchbook, yanking it neatly out of Gambit's hand and floating it over to the desktop. "And what has our young asset created that has captured your attention so totally?"

The sketchbook dropped onto the desk in front of him and flopped open somewhere at the end of the drawings. Magneto lifted one curious eyebrow at the portrait of a pretty older woman that now looked up at him. She was clearly well into her middle age, though not near as old as he or Charles were, with faded grey hair and very soft eyes. It seemed that Yin had taken quite a bit of time to work on this picture - the edges were worn with eraser markers, and, while every detail of the woman's face was perfectly in place, the rest of her body was fuzzy and indistinct, as though it wasn't important. A single "kanji" letter was scribbled up in the far right hand corner - Magneto recognized it as "Haha," the kanji for "Mother."

"Well, well, well," he chuckled, showing the page to Mystique stealthily. "It seems that his mind is starting to redevelop faster than we thought. Scraps of his former memories are beginning to resurface, however small and slow they may be."

The female mutant examined the page, narrowing her eyes. "But what does that mean, Eric?"

"It means, my dear, that all the boy needs is one last little push in order to reach the level that we need," Magneto smirked a bit, looking back to the page. "And I believe that we now know exactly what that last 'push' may be…"

_**TBC…**_

When the kanji for mother is written alone, it's read "haha" (yes, exactly like a laugh) which is an affectionate term for your own mother, similar to "Mama," "Mommy" or "Mom." To speak about someone else's mother, the hiragana letter "o" is placed in front (though sometimes dropped in informal speech) and the ending "san" is added to the end, so that the kanji is read "okaa-san" which also means "mother." No one will ever say that I haven't learned something from my three years in Japanese class.

With this chapter, I am assuming that, since Magneto is attempting to create a clan of powerful mutants and it doesn't really matter where they come from, he needs to know at least a little of the most common foreign languages. However, unlike Logan, who is fluent in Japanese (and has it in his back story) Magneto probably knows about enough to find himself a local translator if he needs it. Mystique, on the other hand, with her skill for information-gathering, is probably fluent in many different languages, which is why Magneto doesn't have to be.

Sigh again…I liked the ending, but the scene with Izumi and Mercurious just…bleh. But I couldn't do that much with it…I mean, he didn't actually _know_ anything, so what could I do? Well…the plot picks up a bit more in the next chapter, so that should make up for it, right?


	6. Biscuits Blue Skin

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Digimon or X-Men Evolution. So sue me. No wait…don't._

**The X-Evolution - Memories**

**Chapter 5: Biscuits/Blue Skin**

"Yin."

The boy shifted in his sleep, rubbing at one eye sleepily. The voice was familiar, but not enough to bring him around. His eyes flickered open, then closed without opening completely.

"Yin," the voice said again, soft and caring. A hand came to rest on his cheek. The skin felt smooth and warm. "Come on now, Yin. It's time to wake up."

A light groan escaped his lips, but his eyes opened as asked. There was someone there with him, a woman, knelling beside his bedroll with a gentle expression on her face. It took a moment for his eyes to return to their normal range of vision, clearing out the fuzzy edges uncertainly until he could finally see her clearly.

She was older than him, but not too old, a woman who had grown gracefully into her middle age. Her hair was long and dark, twisted back and bound away from her eyes with a simple brown hair clip. Her eyes were a soft, gentle navy blue, faded into a pleasant grey with age and filled with love and care. He could see every little detail of her, as though she was glowing, and yet the glow didn't hurt his sensitive eyes in the least. She was beautiful, she was gentle, and she was…familiar.

For a moment, the idea didn't register. The Yin looked down at the sketchbook that he'd been working in just a few hours before. It was open to a specific page, the last page that he'd worked on, with a picture of this woman looking up at him and smiling. There was a symbol in the corner, a symbol that he recognized, that he could read…

"Mama?"

The woman's smile widened just a bit more, stroking his cheek warmly. "That's right. You remembered." Her eyes closed in a delicate manner, making her face wrinkle pleasantly. "I'm glad. That means you're getting better. Much better."

Yin blinked at her slowly and sleepily, still coming out of his haze. Better meant that there was something wrong with him, like maybe he was sick. But he didn't care about that at the moment. She was familiar, and her touch felt warm. Besides, he was still tired. And she was his mother.

He leaned forward, resting his head on the woman's stomach and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I…I missed you, Mom." He couldn't really remember why he said those words, more than anything else, but they just felt right. "I really did."

Mystique smiled to herself as her disguise slipped away, revealing the textured blue skin that was her true form, leaving the boy resting on the lap of her white dress. He had reacted exactly as Eric had said, taking her for his mother almost instantly, and as long as he witnessed this transformation, he shouldn't have a problem with any of her other forms. Even if his mind was still somewhat scattered, his loyalty to her…and to their cause…would now be absolute.

Besides, it was nice, in a way - she'd never truly had a chance to be a mother.

"Mama?"

She pulled out of her thoughts instantly, looking down at the young teen, who was looking up at her with half-lidded eyes. "Yes, Yin?"

He yawned. "Do I have to get up now?"

"Not just yet," she smoothed down some of his hair, a slight smile drifting over her face again. "Soon, though. Very soon…"

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

Takuya stood at the door with a tray of food in his hands. He sighed, looking at the back of the boy who stubbornly continued to remain in his bed, not moving, not eating, not doing much of anything except reacting violently to anyone, save Takuya himself, who tried to help him. Occasionally, Takuya wondered if this was all that Kouji had been doing all this time, or if he was really doing something extreme, like digging a tunnel to escape outside, when nobody else was around. He certainly hadn't been sleeping- the heavy curtains had been pulled tightly closed, but the room was full of light as every electric bulb remained on every minute of the day.

Flare sighed in a wistful sort of manner, easing the door shut behind him with his foot and making his away across the room. "Yo, Kouji. Food's ready."

"Not hungry," Yang grunted, not moving.

Another sigh. Takuya set the tray down on the bed stand and sat down on the bed across from where Yang was lying. "Buddy, you gotta stop doing this to yourself. Snap out of it. Eat something. You're gonna waste away like this."

Kouji lifted his head just enough to level a neutral glare at his friend. It was neutral because he simply didn't have the energy to push any emotion into it, though the intensity did sag a bit with the heavy rings that had formed under them from a lack of sleep. "I _told_ you," he mumbled evenly, his languid tongue making his words seem sloppy. "I'm not eating until I see Nii-san."

"And what good is that going to do?" Takuya scowled a bit, picking a medium-sized biscuit off the tray and holding it out to his friend. "Look, just eat a little bit. Just a couple of bites so you don't starve on me."

Another tired glare. "I don't want anything."

"I don't care if you don't," Takuya's voice lowered into a sort of growl, as he reached across to shove the food under Kouji's nose in frustration. "You're eating it if I have to force-feed it to you."

The glare finally gave up, flopping into a half-open stare that made the other boy look ready to drop dead. "Like you'd even try."

The hand clenched into fist. The biscuit snapped, then crumbled.

In one motion, Takuya grabbed Kouji by the collar and yanked his head forward with a violent jerk, shoving the compress handful of crumbs into his mouth. Taken off-guard, Kouji's initial reaction was to sputter and spit the food out, but Takuya had already blocked off that option by flattening his hand over the other's jaws. With another jerk, less violent and more sudden, Flare had his friend pinned to the mattress, still holding his collar in his other hand.

"What the hell do you think you're going to prove like this, huh?" Takuya demanded, his voice raising into a yell. "How the hell is wasting away in your room like a self-centered ass going to help him? He's your brother, dammit! He frickin' needs you! Are you just gonna leave him alone out there?"

Blue eyes, which were still wide with surprise from the sudden attack, remained that way. Takuya grit his teeth, making his grip on the other's collar a bit tighter.

"He's your damn brother," he muttered, the volume of his voice lowering without softening the tone at all. "And he's my damn friend. Maybe you're not getting that right now, but you're not the only person who cares about Kouichi. Everybody here, the Professor, Storm, the entire Institute, is doing everything they can to find him. He's our friend. Our teammate." He took a deep breath, relaxing his grip a bit. "And you are, too."

He sank back until he was sitting on his heels, his hand uncurling from the other's collar just a bit, though both limbs remained in their place.

"What the hell is he gonna do without you, huh?" He muttered, his eyes getting distant. "He depended on you even when his mind wasn't screwed up. If you're not going to help him, who will?"

His grip on the other's collar wavered a bit, and then he finally let go altogether, the hand swinging to his side limply.

"You're one of us. You're an X-man," he whispered, dropping his voice down as he finally let go of Kouji's collar. "It doesn't matter whether your powers are working or not. You'll always be an X-Man. That's not going to change. Ever.

"So?" He sighed finally, looking down at Kouji with the same half-open glare that he'd been given just moments before. "Are you going to help us find your brother or not?"

Kouji stared up at him for a long, quiet moment.

He swallowed the biscuit.

"I'm starving."

Takuya smirked to himself and stepped back onto the ground. He pulled the tray over, setting it neatly in the other's lap. "Here yeh go, buddy. Eat up."

Kouji sat up to reach the food, rubbing the spot where Takuya had been sitting on his stomach painfully. "You're damn heavy, you idiot."

"If the rest of you is as hard as your head, you should be fine."

Kouji smirked just a little at the joke, reaching for a slice of orange. But before he could even start eating, the door was flung open without so much as a single knock, ushering in the little, overly-excited orange and white creature that was Tomoki Hida.

"Izumi's back!" He cheered brightly, grabbing Takuya's hand in both of his own. "She's back, Takuya-nii-san! And she's not even hurt or anything, so it must have gone pretty good!"

Subconsciously, Takuya's grin spread into an ear-to-ear smile at the mention of the pretty blonde girl. "She's finally back, huh?"

"Whattya mean 'finally'?" Kouji asked incredulously, pealing the orange with one hand. "She hasn't been gone that long."

Tomoki swung back on Takuya's arm, blinking at the other boy with big brown eyes. "Huh? It's been three days."

Kouji dropped the orange. "_WHAT?"_

"Uh-oh," Takuya twisted his hand to grab Tomoki by the wrist, dragging him down the hall. "C'mon, kiddo, we better make sure that she gets settled back in. You just enjoy that breakfast, 'kay, Kouji? Catch ya later!"

"Kanbara!" An annoyed, somewhat frustrated yell echoed after them as they disappeared down the hall. "Get the hell back here! Why the hell didn't you _tell_ me?"

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"What the hell are we doing here?"

Avalanche scowled, crossing his arms over his chest in disgust and resisting the urge to shake the feet right out from under Quicksilver's fast-talking mouth. But he had the feeling that this run-down old hotel wasn't exactly stable, even with Magneto's metal reinforcements, and that any minor tremor would probably bring it down around their necks, not to mention their leader's wrath.

Quicksilver twitched restlessly, toying with the tennis ball in his hand before throwing it again. In rapid, two-second intervals, he caught the ball as it bounced off the metal wall, threw it back just as smartly and repeated the process all over again. He did this until he was bored - which was about twenty seconds later - and then collapsed back into his seat to repeat, for the twenty-second time in the last hour, "What the hell are we doing here?"

Lance ground his teeth together and scowled deeper. "Shut up, Pietro."

"I'm just sayin'…"

Blob let out a mighty belch, echoing through the semi-metallic room. The walls shook with the force of it, knocking a layer of dust onto all of their heads. "Gwah…Lance said chill out, hotfoot. To early tuh be movin' that much."

"Yeah," Toad chimed in, hopping up and clinging to the edge of the wall. "We're just supposed to hang out for a bit, so let's hang."

Quicksilver wrinkled his nose and stuck out his tongue in annoyance. "Man, when did you guys turn into such a bunch a' squares, huh?"

Lance growled again and hoisted himself over the edge of the couch to glare at his speedster companion. "Pietro, if you don't shut up right now, I'm gonna come over there and ram my foot up you…"

"That's enough, boys."

The cold, refined voice of the Brotherhood's leader snapped the four teens to a kind of uncertain, fear-driven attention. Toad promptly fell off his place on the wall, landing on his head, and Blob broke the rickety old couch when he landed on it after trying to scramble to his feet.

Magneto, as usual, was unfazed by their antics, stepping into the room with his standard flunkies on either side. Gambit, on his left, had his hands stuffed deep into his pockets and a smooth grin on his face. When he saw the boys, his smirked widened a bit more, much to Avalanche's aggravation - he had been hoping never to see that cocky face again. On the other side, Mystique was looking even calmer and more refined than usual. And hanging onto her arm was…

Lance shot straight up, pointing at the younger teen in shock. "You! What the hell is he doing here?"

Yin gulped and shrank back, hiding behind Mystique. Magneto, however, just chuckled in amusement and stepped between the teens and the blue-skinned mutant. "Calm yourselves."

"Yeah, lighten up, gents," Gambit's grinned widened even more. "We're all on the same team here, ain't we?"

"Same team? Ha!" Toad croaked, clearing out his throat in the process.

"He's a freakin' X-man!" Quicksilver exclaimed, darting forward.

"I ain't never gonna work with him!" Blob glowered, lumbering up from his squatted position. "Never!"

"Well, you're going to have to learn how," Mystique insisted coldly, slipping her thin arm out of the younger teen's grasp to wrap it around his shoulders instead. "Because whether you like it or not, Yin is a part of our 'team' now."

Magneto chuckled softly, one gloved hand coming to rest against his lips. "Well put, my dear."

The four teenagers stared at their adult leaders in disbelief. The fifth teen - who suddenly looked much, much younger than the others, even though he was supposed to be in the same grade as Lance, peaked out from his hiding place and stared at them with big, blue eyes. He was clinging to a small sketchbook as though it were a precious treasure.

Again, in the silence, Magneto chuckled. He crossed the room smartly, leaving Gambit, Mystique and Yin to spread out as they wished, and took his place behind the smooth silvery desk.

"Now," he began, giving a little flick of his wrist, summoning over a plastic folder by its binding metal rings. Several reams of paper ruffled inside the black covers, unfolding into maps and plans, all written in a neat, orderly handwriting. "Perhaps we can begin our discussion of tomorrow's actitivities…"

"Tomorrow?" Blob explained, sitting up rather suddenly for such a large creature. "But we just got here!"

Quicksilver slipped forward, looking over his father's shoulder for a split second, then darted away with a grin. "Sounds good to me. The sooner the better, I say."

"But we _just got here_!"

Yin sank back into one of the chairs as the other teens started to argue and debate the plans that Mr. Magneto was laying out for them. After making sure he could still see his mother - he didn't want to loose sight of her - he curled up, pulling his legs up and laying his head on his knees. He held his sketchbook close to him and sighed. For the first time in as long as he could remember - which was, mind you, not that long at all - he wasn't sleepy, or tired or even the least bit drowsy.

But he was disoriented, and he was restless. He couldn't figure it out, but he just couldn't get his body to stay still. Something was nagging at him that just didn't seem right. Maybe it was the presence of the four teens that he didn't quite recognize, or maybe it was that the room he had slept in had been a bit too cold. Whatever it was, he just couldn't put a finger on why this place, this group, this scene, which he knew must all have been a part of his daily life, seemed so…strange.

There were footsteps, shaking him from his thoughts. Mother had moved away, crossing the room to settle the dispute in her own way, but Gambit came and stood behind the boy like a protective guard. Yin looked up at the man, receiving a warm, brotherly smile, which he returned. Gambit placed his hand on the boy's shoulder, and the warmth was comforting.

Despite his restlessness, he felt safe here. With his family.

_**TBC…**_

…Hee.

TMNT fics are getting under my skin. Read a really great one about Don that helped me flesh out the real relationship that Kouichi's 'developing' with the Brotherhood. It should be interesting to see how this works out.

As for Mystique's reactions…She's given birth to one child (Kurt) and adopted another (Rogue) but never had the chance to raise either of them. It's a general instinct of most female mammals, especially humans, to want to be mothers - to have children, raise children. It's a biological instinct that keeps us from abandoning/neglecting/murdering our own young. Some women don't have it - lots of women do. I'm assuming the Mystique is one of those women.

Oh, and the reason Kouichi accepts the transformation is because he doesn't have the mental resources to realize that his mother hasn't _always_ been able to do that.


	7. Nightly News

Sigh…I'm eighteen now, and by the time you read this I will have graduated from high school. I'm really burnt out right now. Maybe I'll be better in a little bit, so I can, you know, finish up that chapter of KoEH I've been working on/kinda neglecting as I transition out of high school and into the real world…

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Digimon or X-Men Evolution. So sue me. No wait…don't._

**The X-Evolution - Memories**

**Chapter 6: Nightly/News**

"This is a frickin' load of _bull_," Lance scowled in disgust, the ground trembling just enough to knock the top layer of dust off the top of the small mesa that they were standing on. "Making us sit around like a bunch of freakin' dust lumps an' treatin' that little X-brat like some kinda prince…"

"Yeah, man," Toad clambered up the side of the mesa from the spot where he'd been keeping a close eye on the object of their . "It's totally rude. I mean, who do those guys think they are, king and queen of the mutants or somethin'?"

Blob glanced around in the dark, especially eyeing the edges of the natural platform as though expecting someone to jump at him. "Keep it down, would yeh? They might hear yeh!"

"Oh yeah?" Pietro appeared so quickly that Blob dropped the cup he'd been holding, sending nuts flying everywhere. "And what're they gonna do about it, huh? I'll tell yeh what, nothin'. They ain't never gonna get around to do doin' nothin', and I'll tell yeh why, they're just a bunch of…"

A laugh cut them off so suddenly that even Quicksilver jumped in surprise. Seconds later, Gambit appeared over the edge, slipping his hands into his pockets and bearing a smirk that made Lance want to punch his lights out.

"Better be careful what yeh say, mon ami," he chastised brightly, waving one finger in warning. "Yeh might hurt somebody's feelings."

Lance scowled at him. "Somebody like who?"

"Gambit-san?"

Once again, the four boys jumped. Yin trailed after the older man, not quite holding onto his coat but close enough to do so if he wished. He seemed a little 'older' now, his mind a bit more mature than it had been before, though he still clung to the sketchbook like a security blanket. With the black duster jacket and the thin glasses, he looked almost like a little Gambit, though the clothes beneath were considerably more loose.

He came to the redhead's side in a few quick steps, blinking up at him. "Is something wrong?"

"No, of course not," Gambit grinned, taking the boy by the arm and leading him fully into the room. He winked at the other four a little _too_ brightly. "Nothing at all."

Lance growled again, gripping his hands into fists.

Magneto appeared then, rising up on a disk of thin metal so suddenly that all conversation stopped innocently. Mystique stood just behind him on the floating disk, and took the preliminary glance over the group to examine their condition. She glared at the four older teens, warning them not to try anything, but her expression softened when she saw Yin. The boy smiled up at her brightly, and she nodded before turning her attention back to their leader.

"So then," Magneto smirked, his blue eyes scanning over the group coldly. "Are we ready?"

Quicksilver quirked a thin eyebrow. "For what?"

"To make our move, of course," Mystique narrowed her eyes. "And I trust that _all_ of you read over the details of our mission?"

"Uh…"

The golden eyes narrowed even further, into a harsh glare. "You didn't even look at them, did you?"

"Nope," Toad admitted openly. Avalanche groaned and smacked him on the back of the head.

"I didn't think so," Mystique scowled, and turned away from them in disgust.

Lance was secretly pleased at having ticked the high and mighty blue-skinned one off, but not so much that they were behind on something important. He turned to Magneto and crossed his arms over his chest, indicating a ceasefire. "So, what is exactly _is_ the plan?"

"It's quite simple," Magneto's cool expression never faded. He indicated the building below them with a refined wave of his red-gloved hand. "That location is tonight's target."

"Yeah, we figured, since you had us watchin' the damn place all night," Avalanche growled. "But what's it a target for?"

"Elimination," Magneto said simply, turning to the group as a whole. "We go in as one, disable the facility's interior entirely and eliminate anyone that tries to prevent it."

"Oh yeah?" Pietro zipped across the ledge and back restlessly as he spoke. "So whattya need us for? You're tough enough to take care of this yourself, ain'tcha? What's stopping you?"

Magneto waved him away patiently, his silvery eyes sliding shut to feign elderly weakness. "This facility has been specially equipped by government organizations bent on resisting my interference. Its defense system, weaponry and interior workings are constructed completely out of plastic hybrids. I'm afraid that my powers will have no effect on any of them."

Lance stared at him. He may have been just a few final exams and a prison sentence short of a high school drop-out, but he knew when something didn't add up quite right. "What're they doin' that they're so scared of you, huh?"

Mystique's eyes narrowed sharply, and her lips pursed together in a disgust. "They're working on a…_cure_."

"A cure?" Toad snorted. "Cure for what?"

Another disgusted look. "For _us_. For all mutants."

"Say what?" Toad squawked, and promptly hit the ground face-first. The others echoed similar reactions, except for Gambit, who had already known, and Yin.

Yin was obviously confused and blinked several times as though trying to clear something out of his eyes. "Is there something wrong with the mutants?"

Magneto smiled just a bit, finding some inner appreciation for the boy's naiveté. "No. There is not."

"Then how come we need a cure?"

"_We_ do not," Mystique explained quietly, coming to place a hand on the boy's shoulder. "And we never have. However, there are some…humans…who are jealous of the powers we mutant possess, and thus, wish to eliminate them."

"Powers?"

"The abilities that make us special. Like your shadows." Mystique's expression hardened a bit. "They wish to take those powers away, forever."

Yin's eyes widened so suddenly it was almost as though he'd been hit. "But they can't!"

"Not yet," Magneto assured him, striding forward to the center of the group. "But they will be able to soon enough, which is why it is so crucial for us to strike at them now. If we can take them out at this point, all of them, it will set their employers back for years. The threat of a Cure may well be eliminated forever."

There was a moment of pause to let the gravity of the situation sink in.

"So whatta we waitin' fer?" Gambit grinned, flipping a card into each of his hands. "Let's get to this."

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

It really wasn't that unexpected that Kouji hadn't slept a wink all night long.

After all, he hadn't really done anything else for the past three days, and now that he was finally ready to get back in action, he wasn't planning on going back to bed any time soon. But despite his enthusiasm, nothing had happened for the entire night. He had assisted Storm, and then Beast in scanning any and all information that they could find for information of their missing member, but it was no sign of him. Finally, when Jean came to take over at about eight in the morning, she shooed the frustrated younger mutant into the kitchen, to "get some food before you start losing weight again."

So now, Kouji was sitting at the breakfast table, pushing his eggs around somewhat restlessly and only eating because Takuya was eyeing him, making sure that _something_ went into his mouth. The conversation this morning was understandably strained, as it had been for several long days, and Kouji looked ready to jump into action at any given moment.

Which was probably why he accidentally broke two plates and a glass when Jean burst into the room just at the end of breakfast, throwing the door open. "Professor! Everyone! You've got to see this!"

"What is it?" Kouji demanded, "Did you find something?"

Kitty let out a bit of a shriek. "Oh, Kouji, the plates!"

"I've got 'em," Izumi created a small whirlwind in her hand, sweeping up the broken shards and depositing them into the trash in one fell swoop.

"What's going on, Jean?" Tomoki asked, bouncing up from his chair. "Did you find Yin? Is he okay?"

"Well…" Jean's enthusiasm dimmed just a little bit, and she glanced to Scott for support. Receiving a blank look even from him, she focused her mind for a second and calmed her thoughts. "I think…you guys better come see this for yourself."

Ten minutes later, the entirety of the active X-Men team had squeezed themselves into the media room to see what the young telepath had found. As soon as everyone was settled in, she brought up the clip - a segment from a major news network, broadcasting from somewhere in the middle of Nevada.

"This is a report the came on just this morning, about an attack on a research facility whose primary project was a drug to suppress the mutant X-gene, literally a 'cure' for being a mutant."

Takuya looked disgusted. "Why he hell were the working on something like that? That's nuts!"

"Some people might want it, Flare." Rouge said softly, fingering the glove of her right hand with the left. "Some people _really_ want it."

"Yes…" Jean nibbled her lip a bit nervously at the thought, trying to direct their attention to the screen. "But that's not the really important part. Watch this."

With the click of a few buttons, the many screens started to move again, and the voice of the television announcer filled their ears.

_"…practically destroyed just last night. The security cameras captured these images during the attack, indicating the involvement of extremist mutant terrorists, possible the infamous…"_

Professor X leaned forward in his wheelchair, his fingers lacing together the way that they always did while he was concentrating. The picture on the screen was in shades of grey, as was to be expect from security cameras, as well as fading in and out erratically because of the disturbance in the scene. But all of them could clearly make out a group of some of their least-favorite people: The Brotherhood of Mutants.

Toad climbed along the wall on his own grips, covering the guard's faces with his natural "Sticky Spit." Quicksilver sped across the screen so quickly that he was only a silver blur. And just behind them, Magneto and Mystique trailed behind in an almost regal manner, as though they were enjoying the show.

As they watched, a spray of tranquilizer darts were shot from a panel above the hallway. Toad and Quicksilver darted out of the way, but the other two did not, facing them as though they were watching a lovely sunset.

Barely a foot from impact, a black shield flickered into being, knocked the darts to the ground, and disappeared as quickly as it had come.

Everyone in the room recognized the shield instantly.

"It's him!" Kurt whispered in shock, his ears and tail falling.

"Yin…?" Scott sounded unbelieving, and his eyes were wide behind his visor.

"It can't be…" Izumi whispered.

"It ain't possible," Wolverine growled, cracking his knuckles. "There's no way."

"What the hell is he doing?" Junpei muttered, his fists sparking slightly as he tried to control the mixture of shock and disgust. "What is he doing with those guys?"

Kouji gripped his hands in to fists, his jaw clenching shut as he stared at the sight. He couldn't believe it…no, he wouldn't. His brother, his sweet, gentle brother couldn't be working with Magneto. Even if he didn't remember them Kouichi would never work for a person as cold-hearted, as brutal, as extreme…

"Nii-san…"

Professor Xavier gripped his hands into fists for a split moment, then slipped his wheelchair forward into a station of his own. "Jean," he commanded, "I want you and Hank to search for every other lab in the United States that may be still working on that cure. It's obvious that they are going to be Magneto's targets."

"We're on it, Charles," Beast confirmed, and moved to a station of his own.

Xavier glanced at the remaining adults. "Logan, Ororo, prep the Blackbird. I want it ready to leave at a moment's notice. That's the only way that we're going to catch them."

"Already done," Storm assured, and took off for the hanger with Wolverine in tow.

"Scott, I want you and the other students to run a last-minute training simulation in the Danger Room," blue eyes narrowed as the last instruction was given. "This is going to be a dangerous mission, without a doubt."

"Yes sir," Scott gave a salute and began herding the younger teens out of the room.

Kouji grit his teeth and remained firmly in place. He had just opened his mouth to state that he wasn't going anywhere when Xavier's eyes turned to him seriously. "Kouji, I promise you that we will do everything we can to bring him back safely this time. But you are currently in a rather vulnerable state. The best thing that you can do now is try to train yourself out of it, so that you'll be ready when he needs you. Do you understand?"

For a moment, Kouji just stood there with his mouth open. Then he closed it with a sigh. "Yes, sir."

With that, the X-Men spread out and went to work.

_**TBC…**_


	8. Teasing Training

Ne…gomen nasai about the slow updating, everybody. I got a job (I'm an intern reporter at the local paper!) so my writing time is a bit limited, and even then it depends on whether or not I'm conscious. I'm loving my job (it's so much fun, and I'm not cooped up in the office all day!) but I wind up with some weird assignments that are a little draining. Silver…bison…statues…

I don't own Digimon or X-Men Evolution. So sue me. No wait…don't.

The X-Evolution - Memories

Chapter 7: Teasing/Training

Yin sighed, settling into the little space that he had come to claim as his own. It was not much room, little ore than a closet in the rear of their flying 'home'. But it was cozy, and, most importantly, it was dark. The door sealed almost completely behind him, shutting out all light, and the shadows allowed him to remove the metal glasses and settle into the peace of his natural element.

He took just a moment for his eyes to properly adjust, then picked up his sketchbook and began flipping through it. There were lots of pictures, some that he remembered drawing, and some…most of the good ones…that he really didn't, but he knew that he must have. No one else in the Brotherhood drew, as far as he knew of, and even if they did none of them ever used his sketchbook to do so. It was his sketchbook, his present, and everything in it was his.

He flipped through the book, taking care not to handle the parchment pages too much. He didn't want to smudge the delicate pencils that he had used to create the precious images. Because of the nature of the book, some of the finer points had already been rubbed out. But even though he couldn't remember drawing all of the images, he knew that they were precious memories of his past.

As long as they were solid, the last thing he wanted was to lose any of them.

He paused a moment, thoughtfully considering a familiar face. Actually, it was _his_ face…or, at least, he thought that it was his. The shape was identical, right down to the tip of the chin. The nose and mouth were the same, and the eyes were mirror images of his own. But, somehow, the face was different than his was now. Yin couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he knew…the person in the picture was different.

His fingers hovered over the portrait without quite touching it, his mind shifting through the possibilities. Maybe this person was who he used to be before the Bad Thing happened to his mind that messed up his memories. If that was true, then he wanted to fix his mind and get back to being that way as soon as possible…the other him looked very, very confident and very, very strong, just the kind of person he needed to be to help protect his family…

Just as the thought slid through his mind, the door to his room flew open. Yin let out a cry as the seer light struck his sensitive eyes like a burning ember. He reeled back, covering his eyes with body of his hands.

"Oh, so that's what's in here," A voice spoke from the entrance. "I was just wondering where they kept you."

Yin whimpered a bit, moving one hand to search for his glasses. "T-Toad?"

"Yeah, you're a freakin' genius," Yin's hands were just brushing along the familiar cover of his sketchbook when the object was suddenly snatched from his grasp. "Hey-hey. These are lookin' pretty sweet. Nice, swanky book, too."

Yin's mind could barely register the horror that stuck him at that moment. Toad's hands were always sticky and dirty, and he was never careful about anything, not even a fight where they could all be killed, or worse. If he touched the pages, they'd be ruined for sure, and his precious memories…

"Give it back!" He begged, groping towards the voice in search of the book. "Please, give it back! Please!"

"Woah!" Toad backed away, out of the boy's reach. "Easy, easy! I'm not gonna be mess with it _too_ much…"

Between the pain in his eyes and sheer frustration, Yin was now nearly in tears. "Please…please, just give it back. Please?"

"Hm…" Toad rocked back on his heels, his voice raising into a taunting croon. "I don't know…"

"Now, that ain't nice."

Toad jumped at Gambit's voice from behind him and shrieked like a girl, throwing the book into the air. The kinetically-powered mutant caught it easily before it could hit the ground. "Now, get."

Another squeak, and Toad had disappeared out of the ship again, back into the woods that they had concealed themselves in.

Gambit shook his head, clicking his tongue. He paused a moment, glancing over the open page, then close the book cleanly and smartly. He knelt down, picking up the glasses, and set them back where they belonged. "'Ere now. Ah bet that feels better, don't it, Frère?"

Yin carefully felt the edges of the glasses, flickering his eyes open when he was sure that it was safe. He reached out for his sketchbook, taking it out of Gambit's hands and hugging it close.

"Thank you, Gambit-san." He whispered, looking up at him. "Thank you so much."

Gambit grinned, mussing the boy's hair. "Yeh welcome, Frère. Now c'mon… Magneto and yer Ma are waitin' on yeh."

Yin nodded and scrambled back to his feet. Clutching his sketchbook in one arm, he grasped Gambit's with the other hand, and smiled up at him, the incident just moments before already forgotten. The man grinned back, filing the moment away for another time, and led him out to their next assignment.

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Kouji narrowed his eyes at the robot, which he could only see vaguely. He was in a small offshoot of the Danger Room, a special area meant for individual battle training against their specific weaknesses. In his case, this meant plunging the room into total darkness, without any sort of light, and still having to take out the rather menacing droid hovering around him.

Or, at least, that's how it was supposed to be, but since his powers weren't working quite right, they were going easy on him. There was just enough light in the room that it looked like a black-and-white movie, and instead of the lasers he was normally challenged to catch and return, the droid was shooting simple darts that caused a mild shock when they connected.

Kouji grit his teeth, trying count the rhythm of the propeller that kept the machine aloft. It was just a robot, after all, it could only be so smart - the motion sensor tracked his movements, the mechanics moved to keep an eye on him, and the darts were fired at a fairly regular pace. If he could just keep track of their rhythm and counter it with his own…

He reached out for the light, moving quickly to keep up with the increasing speed of the machine. His hand tensed and his muscles tingled as though he'd brushed them along a live wire, running up his arm. It was a familiar feeling…if he could just expand it…push it out…try to reach…

A shock hit him in the bend of his elbow, and his arm jerked with it.

_"Shit_," he swore in his mind, yanking his head back. He'd lost track of the rhythm, and now his concentration on the light was gone. He reached for the dart, only to be hit again, twice, first in the neck, which made him see stars, then his right side.

He was just getting his second wind from these blows when the room's main lights flickered on, with the mechanical voice belonging to the Danger Room's main computer. "Simulation terminated. Simulation terminated."

Kouji hissed as the droid disappeared back into the wall. He yanked the darts out of his skin, tossing them to the side, and sank back against the wall with a little frustrated groan.

A moment later, the door opened and Cyclops entered, looking somewhat frustrated. "Okay…what happened this time?"

Kouji scowled at him. "How the hell am I supposed to know?"

"You were doing great," Scott sighed, placing one hand against his forehead. If it hadn't been for the visor, he would have been rubbing his temples. "Your reflexes haven't suffered a bit, you could've kept that up for days. What did you do?"

Kouji glanced at his hand, which almost seemed to tingle a bit with the memory. "I almost had it."

Again, Cyclops sighed, shaking his head. "Yang…"

"Don't call me that."

"…Kouji," the elder mutant allowed with another sigh. "We told you. You shouldn't try to force it. It's not good for you or your powers to try and force them when they're not working correctly. You could lose control or disrupt them for good or…"

"I know, I _know_!" Kouji crossed his arms and glanced away, his expression somewhere between put out and ashamed. "I wasn't forcing it."

Scott opened his mouth as though to retort, but at that moment, the Professor's voice echoed through their minds and the minds of all the mutants on campus.

Kouji was on his feet in an instant and out the door a moment later. Scott spared just enough time for one last, frustrated sigh, and followed after.

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

At least half of the X-Men were already in their seats when Kouji and Cyclops arrived, but the others were barely seconds behind them. Storm, Beast and Wolverine were already in their places behind the controls, but the Professor was not. His wheelchair rested in the doorway between the cockpit and the back of the plane, to address the gathered group of mutants. His eyes were closed and his face was calm, obviously waiting for everyone to arrive before the briefing began.

Once everyone was seated (with Kitty phasing through the back of the haul at the last moment, whispering hurried apologies, the Professor looked up at them all, turning on the small screen to his right to display a map of the United States.

"Another attack has taken place in the past 12 hours," the Professor instructed briefly, tapping the screen, and two small, red dots appeared on the map. "A research facility in Minnesota has been raided in the same way as the lab in Nevada, confirming our original prediction about Magneto's current target,

"Through our research, we've managed to discover that there are only two labs currently attempting to create a 'cure' for the mutant X-gene," Xavier sighed. "One is a mobile lab, promoted by a private company and designed specifically to remain on the move at all times and, thus, be incapable of detection. Even the government is not sure where it is currently located. The remain lab is here," he tapped the screen, and another small red dot appeared on the map. "A facility located approximately fifty miles outside of New York City. If the Brotherhood follows their current pattern, they will already be headed in that direction. We need to move fast if we're going to beat them to it."

Though the tension in the room rose considerably, no one said a word. The screen went black, and the Professor turned to face them all.

"Before we do anything else, I want to make something very, very clear," his serious eyes scanned over the group, giving each person the feeling that he was looking directly at them. "This mission is not about the Cure. It's not about the equipment or the labs, or even trying to deter Magneto and the Brotherhood from their terrorist efforts. It is not our place to decide whether or not this 'cure' will be brought into existence."

Kouji glanced at Takuya, feeling a familiar increase in heat even through the cloth of his uniforms. He guessed that only Logan and himself realized it, but Takuya's body temperature, as well as that of the air around him, tended to increase by at least five degrees when he was angry or frustrated. From the look on Flare's face, it was a little bit of both, and he was clearly unhappy with the Professor's announcement.

…Interesting.

"Our target today is Yin, and nothing else," Xavier continued, folding his hands over each other. "It is only because of the Brotherhood's obviously destructive tactics that we're addressing this matter with the numbers that we have. Our only goal today is to retrieve Yin and return home. That is all. Is that understood?"

Various versions of "Yes, sir" echoed through the back hatch. Even Takuya answered, though someone grudgingly.

"Good," the Professor turned his wheelchair around, sliding it into its secure space next to the other three adults. "Let's take off then, Logan. It's time to bring him home."

Ah…There's a nice turning point in the next chapter (I think) so please look forward to it! Once again, I'm sorry for the wait. Hope this chapter was enough for you to forgive me.


	9. Broken Battlefield

Some preemptive warnings for the next few weeks: All next week, starting on Sunday, I will be attending my Synod's annual Youth Workshop in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I doubt that I will have internet access, but I will continue working on my fanfics. Heck, I might even get a decent dent into the next KoEH chapter. I will return from Synod on Saturday, but the following Monday I will leave for the Triennium Tri-Annual Youth Workshop in Chicago. It boils down to: I'll try to get something done to post in the in-between time. If I can't, I'm sorry, but you'll hear from me in two weeks, I promise.

**__**

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or X-Men Evolution. So sue me. No wait…don't.

****

The X-Evolution - Memories

Chapter 8: Broken/Battlefield

The assault on the building began just like all of the other ones had.

Tracking devices trained onto their movements the moment that they entered onto the barren, hidden grounds, and hidden plastic guns sent a shower of hard plastic bullets at them. Yin stepped forward first, the darkness around them forming into a hard shield that easily deflected little plastic bullets and let them tumble, one after another, to the ground.

Next, Quicksilver shot forward, his advanced speed allowing him to dodge the bullets easily outside the barrier. He dashed around, knocking the guns out of their places as he went, and quickly disabled the automated defenses, forcing the guards into action. Then Gambit would use his ability to blow open the doors, no matter how fortified they were.

At this point, Yin dropped the barrier and the group split into their operational teams - Blob, Toad, Quicksilver and Avalanche in the forerunning to explore the area, Mystique, Gambit, Magneto and Yin hanging back for support. As they moved, Yin would keep his senses sharp and his barrier just at the edge of solidifying - just in case they were, somehow, surprised from behind.

But tonight, however, their standard pattern was altered at this point when Gambit leaned forward and nudged Yin towards the younger group, saying, "Eh now, Frère, how's about yeh go show them boys what yeh kin do?"

Yin stumbled a few steps forward, thrown off his rhythm. "But…but…"

"That sounds like a splendid idea," Magneto added, a mysterious kind of smile on his thin lips. "A little exercise and stimulation will do wonders for your development."

Yin held back, nibbling his lip and keeping his hold on Mama's hand. It was true, his powers had been developing over the past few days, and he could very nearly grab onto things with the shadows now, but he didn't know if he was really ready to do anything on his own just yet. "You…You really think I should?"

"Of course," Mystique nodded, twisting her hand out of his grasp and nudging him for it. "Go on. I expect a good job."

The boy hesitated just a moment longer, but gave in and hurried to catch up with the other teens.

The older trio paused as the boy left, then Magneto turned to Mystique with a sly smile on his face. "So, I'll take it that Charles will be joining us soon?"

"Any minute now," the woman agreed, producing the small remote that traced the tracking device Gambit had slipped onto the Institute's just during his last job. "They are closing in on this location as we speak."

"Oh, goodie," Magneto chuckled dryly, and lead the remainder of the Brotherhood into the heart of an enemy stronghold.

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Even before the Blackbird had touched the ground, the hatch was open and the X-Men were beginning to pile out. If he had his way, Kouji would have been the first one out and racing towards the entrance to the lab, but Wolverine seized him by the collar at the last moment and restrained him long enough to place him safely within a group who actually had their powers.

The outer defenses of the lab had already been ransacked and lay in pieces on the ground. The door had been blown open in such a manner that it looked like the work of plastic explosives, but once who was looking for it would notice the light static charge that remained behind after one of Gambit's energy-charged blasts.

_"Be cautious," _the Professor warned, broadcasting in into the minds of his students and X-Men. _"Expect the unexpected."_

Shadow Cat and Nightcrawler broke away from the group, moving ahead to scope out the area. Kurt bamph'ed away the first chance he got, delving into the depths of the medical compound, while Kitty simply dashed through one wall after another, keeping an eye out for any sign of their mutant opponents.

The signs were everywhere.

The sound of not-quite-metallic gun shots echoed throughout the building, accompanied by the screams of terrified developers and the deep-throated rumblings of the earth beneath their feet. The very instant that Flare, Iceman and Kouji made it across the threshold, just inches behind Jean, Rogue and Cyclops, a massive tremor threw their feet out from under them, and the three younger members rolled behind fallen remnants of the doors for cover.

"Jesus Christ!" Bobby swore, raising up onto his elbows. "It's like a war zone out there, and we're not even through the front gates!"

Kouji grunted to indicate that he'd heard, already up onto one knee in preparation for his next move. In his right hand, he gripped a wooden bokken, the only thing that he had to work with since his powers were on the fritz.

Takuya crouched down on all fours, holding his lighter ready. "Yeah, it's tough. but we're gotta get back out there. We gotta find Kouichi."

"Yeah, and stop the Brotherhood from blowing this place to smithereens," Iceman added.

Flare seemed to pause a moment, then mumbled, "Yeah…right. Stop 'em."

Kouji glanced at his friend, taking in the careful poker face that really wasn't very good at covering the conflict beneath and the simmering ripple of heat that surrounded him from head to toe, like a convection oven set on its lowest temperature.

None of this passed by Bobby, either, and he focused Takuya with a serious expression. "What's with you? Don't tell me you think what they're doing to this place is justified."

Flare narrowed his eyes at the blonde, and Kouji caught the barest sparks of a flame deep within the brown. "Maybe they've got the right idea, for once."

"You're nuts! You thinking hurting innocent people and blowing up buildings is 'the right idea'?"

"No, but stopping this crap before it gets out of hand _is_!"

"Enough!" Kouji pushed between the two, planting a hand on each of their chests and pushing them away from each other. "We don't have time for this!"

An explosion, most likely one of Gambit's, rocked through the building, and everything went quiet for a split second. Kouji took the opportunity, hauling Takuya up by the arm. "C'mon, this is our chance!"

The trio leapt over the fallen plastic rubble and took off into the fray, the two roommates shooting each other dark looks behind Kouji's back. Kouji sighed inwardly and spared a few seconds to hope that this whole argument would blow over before someone - like his brother - got themselves hurt.

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

For most of the battle, Yin just trailed behind the other four teens like a younger sibling trying to follow his big brother. It wasn't that he didn't want to help, it was just that there wasn't much that he could do - he did manage to cover Avalanche from a surprise spray of knock-out gas capsules, and use an elaborate shadow puppet to draw the guards' attention away from Toad, but that was about it.

He knew that the other boys were feeling rather put out with him because of this, and the realization made his ears burn with shame every time one of them glanced his way.

Before he quite realized it, he had followed them into the main lab - a huge room filled with the most advanced, sterile and (most importantly) non-metallic equipment available. Yin hesitated at the doorway, watching as his teammates scattered throughout the room, rounding up the scientists and their assistants.

"Too easy, too easy!" Quicksilver cackled, running rings around the room and tossing people into the center. He grabbed a small, female scientist by the arm and shoulder, knocking her off her high heels and onto the ground. "You think these losers would have a place to hide or somethin'."

"Just goes to show that nobody ever thinks ahead." Lance clicked his tongue, popping his knuckles in preparation.

"Yeah, yeah!" Toad added, hopping forward with a big grin. "Why don't we show 'em why that's a bad thing, huh guys?"

Blob let out a loud belch that broke several of the more sensitive components. "Let's hurry it up. I'm hungry."

The four mutants closed in on the group of humans, each flexing the muscles that made them who they were. The woman Quicksilver had thrown before was just barely getting onto her feet, she clung to the nearest person and whimpered.

Yin couldn't take it anymore. "G-Guys, whattya gonna do?"

"Do?" Avalanche turned back, and Yin flushed again at the disgusted expression he wore. "We're gonna rough 'em up, Princess. What's it look like we're gonna do?"

"But…But they haven't done anything! They're just here!"

Toad snorted. "Yeah, and whattya think they were doin' here, huh? They were makin' the stuff to make us all stinkin' normals again! Yeah want that, darkie? 'Cause I don't."

"Hey hey hey!" Quicksilver darted over to the dark-haired boy and clapped a hand over his shoulder in a friendly manner. "Don't be so pushy, boys! He's just puttin' his head back together, yeh know, and now that he knows what's up, he's gonna wanna take 'em apart as much as the rest of us, right?"

Yin looked at the scientists, seeing their scared faces and focusing on the woman who still laid half on the ground. "…No. No, I don't."

Blob scoffed. "I knew yeh were a wuss."

"Yeah, it ain't like we're gonna kill 'em," Toad's eyes glinted towards the woman, and his voice took on the strange tone that meant he was building up Sticky Spit in the back of his mouth. "We're just gonna mess 'em up a little, like this, see?"

He hocked up a blob of the disgusting slime and shot it towards the group. Yin's eyes scrunched shut for a split instant, and a dark barrier rose up to block the Spit before it could hit anyone.

Avalanche reeled around, his temper suddenly riled. "Hey, kid! If you don't like it, then stay the hell out of it!"

A gloved right hand clenched, and the ground began to rock under Yin's feet. He stumbled backwards several steps, trying to get his balance by holding on to a nearby table, but his feet soon slipped away. His head knocked against the table on his way down, one of the numerous apparatuses striking his left temple.

Something very close to his ear broke.

Slowly regaining hi senses, Yin pulled himself up and realized, suddenly, that everything was different.

The people - Avalanche, Toad and all the rest - were speaking, but he couldn't quite understand what they were saying. They were speaking, and speaking words, but for the life of him, he couldn't understand what any of them meant.

He blinked several times, brushing shards of broken plastic and computer chips away from his forehead. His temple felt sore, partially from the blow and partially because of multiple small holes left by small prongs, all of which stung. He looked at the broken pieces in his hand, then looked up at Quicksilver, who was addressing him in a language that he suddenly didn't understand. He blinked at the older boy, confused, and a single word fell out of his mouth.

"…Nani?"

**__**

TBC…


	10. Don't Understand Don't Belong

As a note - I do know some Japanese, however, my kanji is minimal and I need to take a few years over again. Hopefully, the Japanese in this chapter is close enough to pass, and if you know better, I would ask you not to correct me, please - I only use Japanese for appropriate storyline purposes. For those who can't figure it out, the Japanese is translated at the bottom.

**__**

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or X-Men Evolution. So sue me. No wait…don't.

****

The X-Evolution - Memories

Chapter 9: Don't Understand/Don't Belong

"Nani? Kore…Kore wa nan desu ka?"

Quicksilver scowled down at the younger boy, his hands on his hips. Yin was babbling nonsense, his tongue sticking strangely on some of the words in an accent that seemed extremely unfamiliar. Whatever it was, Pietro couldn't understand a word the younger boy was saying. And that annoyed him.

"What the hell are you doing?" He demanded, grabbing the boy by the collar and hauling him up. "This is no time to be playing around!"

"Boku…Boku wa…" The younger boy sniffed a little, his eyes wide in confusion. "Boku wa ukagai shinai. Ukagai shinai!"

As usually happened when Quicksilver didn't understand something, his temper flared and he became angry. He jerked the boy to his feet and pushed him away, so that Yin stumbled back into the wall. "You think this is some kinda joke? Let me tell you something, Shades, I ain't joking!"

Avalanche scowled, coming over to the pair with his arms crossed sullenly over his chest. "What the hell is wrong now, Pietro?"

"The little brat's talkin' gibberish," Quicksilver hissed. "And it's pissin' me off!"

Yin braced one hand against the wall, his body tense from nervousness and confusion. He nibbled his lip, starting to shake, and whimpered a little. "N-Nani o iwaku tsute so ka? U-ukagai shinai…ukagai…"

"Shut up already!" Quicksilver snapped, and punched the wall beside the younger mutant's head so quickly that the plastic wall shattered. "If you're not going to say anything useful, don't say anything at all!"

Yin recoiled from the blow and whimpered a bit, but bit his lip to keep from saying anything else. The speedster smirked. "That's better."

Blob snorted from his place in the corner, sounding like a large pig half-drowned in corn syrup. A bit of drool slobbered out of his lower lip. "Auw, just fugeddabout'em. The little rat."

"Yeah, we got more important things to work on!" Toad chimed in, hopping up around the little clump of scientists that they had surrounded. He leered forward at one of the women and flicked his long tongue, making her recoil. "Like showin' these losers what happens when you mess with mutants!"

Avalanche grinned a bit, popping his knuckles. "Yeah…I think you're right, guys. It's time to shake 'em up a bit."

He clenched his fists tightly to his sides, and the ground began to shake again. It was stronger this time than it had been before, knocking machines off of their stands and people off their feet. Many of the scientists began to scream, grabbing onto one another as they toppled into a heap, trying desperately to shield themselves from the falling debris.

"Iie…iie…" Yin's eyes widened as he watched the attack unfold, pushing at his senses until he simply couldn't take it anymore. He threw himself forward, grabbing Avalanche's arm with both of his own. "Yameru! Yameru kudasai! Yameru!"

"What the fu-?" Lance cut off in mid-sentence, being dragged down by the smaller boy's weight. The tremors stopped as the two teens hit the tile floor hard. Avalanche snarled and shoved Yin away forcibly. "What the hell is wrong with you, you bastard? Are you with us or not?"

Yin jerked backwards several inches, clutching his arm. A large bruise was already beginning to form there. "Itamu…Itamunai."

"That don't sound like a positive to me," Toad sniggered, latching onto one of the tables.

"If you're not with us, you're against us!" Avalanche snarled, advancing on the younger boy. Yin back up, remaining on the ground, especially as the floor beneath him started to shake a bit. "And if you're not going to help us, you're just in the way."

Yin backed away from him, using a table to climb to his feet shakily. He retreated a few more steps as the entire group turned their eyes to him, narrowed and dangerous.

"Ukagai…ukagai shinai…"

The younger members of the Brotherhood grew a bit closer, but held away a few feet. The darkness of the room without power was starting to tremble - Yin was reaching out for his powers, but didn't know what to do with them. Didn't know who to target. Or why.

Avalanche noticed this, looking around at his companions, and remembered the first time they had met the little X-brat. The school yard. The fight. The embarrassment. The memory only fueled his anger, and when he turned back to the boy, his eyes blazed even in the gloom.

"You don't belong here, X-brat. Get the hell out."

And Yin, even though he didn't understand the words, complied, making a break for it and rushing into the darkened hallways alone.

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

"Flare! Watch your head!"

Takuya ducked, and a second later a plastic discuss - with edges sharp enough to slice a bit of his hair off as it flew past - zipped over his head. The machine that had been firing them spat a few bursts of air in his direction before it gave up and shrank back to its hiding place.

The pyrokentic sighed as he rolled out of the way, his lighter ready in his right hand. The battle that raged around him was absolutely out of control - X-men on the tail of the Brotherhood, Brotherhood causing trouble and leaving 'surprises' for the X-men, and the human guards panicked out of their minds and firing at every mutant they saw.

Takuya growled a bit as a clip of plastic bullets flew over his head. With these kind of people working on the so-called 'Cure', it was no wonder the Brotherhood wanted to rip them apart. See a mutant, shoot a mutant, that was all they thought…like they were animals. Nothing but lousy animals!

"Flare!"

He didn't duck this time, because he didn't get a chance to - Cyclops suddenly appeared, seized him with one arm and dragged him down behind the nearest pile of rubble. After the ensuing explosion (either the fault of Gambit or an overloaded transmitter) they were up again, and Cyclops was not happy.

"What the heck has gotten into you, Flare?" He snapped, the bit of extra light behind the quartz visor indicative of his annoyance. "We're in the middle of a fight here! Get your head out of the clouds!"

Takuya shook himself and returned the glare fiercely. "Hey, I'm doing the best I can!"

"If your best is standing around like a duck waiting to be shot, you should have stayed at home!"

The brown eyes narrowed, and a little spark of flame could almost be seen in their depths. Takuya grit his teeth, never breaking his stare-off with the older teen, and was almost knocked out of his fierce state when he realized that a strange ball of heat was forming within his own palm…

"Scott!" Jean's voice suddenly broke through, as did the girl herself, appearing behind her boyfriend as though she came from nowhere. "We need to keep moving. We don't know how far they've gotten."

"Right…We're coming." Scott sighed, shooting one last glare in Takuya's direction. "And _you_, either hurry up or find a place to hide. We don't need a space case dragging us all down."

"Yeah yeah, I know!" Flare crouched back into position, opening his lighter and gathering a ball of flame into his hand. "Where the hell is Kouji when you need him?"

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Kouji darted through the abandoned and half-destroyed side halls, slipping down thin corridors that were really meant for the seen-but-not-heard, super-sanitary janitorial staff. Every few moments, another tremor - either Gambit's explosions or Avalanche's seismic quakes - knocked him in one direction or the other, and only years of martial arts practice kept him from crashing against the walls.

His brother was nearby. Call it twin instincts or brotherly concern or whatever you wanted, but he knew. He _knew_ that his brother was down there, and that there was nothing - not even Magneto or the entire brotherhood - that could get in his way now…

But he was so wrapped up in the feeling that he very nearly missed his brother disappearing down an adjacent hall as though the devil was on his heels.

It took him a split second to realize what he'd seen, and then he had changed direction and shot back in the other direction. "Nii-san!"

Kouichi didn't notice his shout, or maybe he hadn't heard him, as he continued to run. Kouji picked up the pace, his balance and training letting him pull ahead enough to dart down a connection path and block his brother's path. "Nii-san, stop!"

Kouichi stopped several feet away from him, and took several steps back. One hand was clutched to his chest, holding tight to strange clothes as though they were the only thing keeping him grounded.

Kouji's brow knotted together as he noticed this, and he stepped forward cautiously. Maybe he'd startled him, or there really was something dangerous chasing him. Or maybe his brother still didn't remember him…?

"Kouichi…Nii-san…it's me."

A blank look, neutral expression - no recognition.

Kouji's excitement fell a bit, and his common sense reprimanded him. Of course Kouichi didn't recognize him, his memory was a train wreck, and three days without the Professor's care would only have made things worse. To Kouichi, Kouji might as well have been a stranger.

"You don't have to worry," he said softly, taking a step forward. He stretched out his hands, showing that one was empty, and the other held only a piece of wood, and hoped that it would be enough. "I'm not going to hurt you, really. I want to help you."

Kouichi didn't respond vocally, though he did take two steps back.

With a sigh, Kouji set down the bokuto, and spread his arms again to prove that he was not armed. "I'm not going to hurt you, Kouichi. You should know that. Let me help you, please…We can go home."

"…Ukagai shinai."

Kouji stopped. He couldn't have heard that right. "What?"

"Boku wa ukagai shinai," his brother repeated, his voice wobbling a bit uncertainly. He looked to be on the verge of tears. "Ukagai shinai."

_Japanese_, Kouji realized with a jolt. Kouichi was speaking their native tongue. It had been so long since he'd heard it, other than over the phone with their parents, that Kouji had almost forgotten what it was like to hear it come from a person nearby.

"Ana…" the two locked eyes, and for a moment, Kouji almost thought he saw a flash of recognition in his brother's navy blue orbs. "Anata dare?"

And then the wall next to them collapsed.

A great tremor, harder and rougher than any of them had been before, rolled through the hall so suddenly that Kouji toppled backwards and Kouichi fell onto all fours. This turned out to be a lucky shot, as they were both low to the ground and somewhat out of the way when the outside plexiglas wall splintered under the pressure and fell forward in great pieces. The little hall was soon practically buried until the collapsing ceiling and walls, great clouds of dust shooting up from the ground outside, and the tremendous rumbling accompanied by the screams of the terrified.

Kouji found himself half-pinned under one of the plastic walls, sheltered under one of the larger pieces, though his leg caught in the rubble and unable to pull free. He coughed through the dust, groping for his bokuto, and looked around hurriedly for his brother.

Kouichi was on the end of the destruction, hardly even touched - one wall had fallen away from him, and the ceiling was still in one big chunk, with one edge stuck deep into the ground. The unknowing elder of the twins crawled out from under the rubble, his eyes trailing from the destruction to the open field beyond and finally back to Kouji.

"Nii-san," Kouji grunted, trying to pull himself up, but found his ankle wedged between two pieces of plastic. "I can't get out. I'm stuck. Help me. _Tasukuru_."

The other boy just looked at him, blankly, not understanding. He knew the word, Kouji could tell, but he couldn't make up his mind whether to go along with it or not. Kouji shifted, winced as the plastic pinched his leg, and stretched out his free hand one more time. "Nii-san, _please_. Let's just…just go home. Please."

The navy blue orbs that so well mimicked his own looked at him a moment longer, then drifted down to the 'X' that decorated his battle suit. Kouichi locked eyes with the other again, and a single frustrated tear rolled down his cheek.

"Ukagai shinai."

And, as though it were the only thing that he could think of to do, he turned away from the boy that was unknowingly his brother, and ran into the darkness of the outside world alone.

**__**

TBC…

"Nani? Kore wa nan desu ka?" - "What? What is this?"

__

"Boku wa ukagai shinai. Ukagai shinai!" - "I don't understand. I don't understand!"

__

"N-Nani o iwaku tsute so ka?" - "What are you saying?"

__

"Iie…Yameru. Yameru kudasai!" - "No…stop. Stop it, please!"

__

"Itamunai." - Don't hurt. (I think. This one is shaky)

__

"Anata dare?" - "Who are you?"

__

"Tasukuru" - To help.


	11. Candles Catching

It just hit me…I'm moving into my dorm room on the 19th. That's Sunday. (Allow me to pause for an 'oh shit' moment) I…may…take a week or so to adjust to college. Settle in, get a little accustomed to the area, place into intermediate Japanese, that sort of thing. I apologize and trust that you'll understand…

Edit: Document manager sucks. It removed words! Whole paragraphs! For no good reason! ARGH! ...I've replaced them all. Takuya's part should make more sense now.

**_Disclaimer:_** I don't own Digimon or X-Men Evolution. So sue me. No wait…don't.

The X-Evolution - Memories

Chapter 10: Candles/Catching

Not knowing what else to do, Yin ran.

He ran through dark that felt so familiar to him, that twisted around him and brushed against his skin with a guiding touch, neither knowing nor caring where he was going. Several sharp little something's - branches and leaves, twigs and thorns - scratched at his arms and legs, trying to pull him back. But the darkness folded over him, it pushed the attackers away and closed up his wounds, urging him forward into the night.

Everything that had happened was flashing through his mind like an old film without sound, hazy and jerky. The sudden loss of understanding, the Brothers turning against him, the fighting, the yelling and…and…

That _boy_…

He'd looked just like him. Just like Yin, like a mirror image, his face so familiar that it burned. But he'd been different, too, tired and worn and…and smiling. Happy. The stranger had been _happy _to see him…he'd called him 'brother'…

But he'd had an "X" on his clothes. Magneto said that the X-people weren't to be trusted, they were traitors to their own cause and would have to be shown the real path through whatever means necessary…but he wasn't ready for them yet, Gambit-san and Magneto had told him to stay away from them, not to engage them for any reason.

And…And everything was just going

His foot caught on something and was practically yanked out from under him, sending his body almost vertical in the air. The darkness came to life again, catching him, cradling him just inches from impact. His glasses fell from his face and clattered to the ground.

The catch was so gentle that he even managed to keep his breath. Once his heart had slowed to its normal pace, the shadows lowered him gently to the ground.

It took a moment for him to get his mind back together. He didn't know how far he'd gone or where he was now. His body ached from the run and his stomach felt as though it was being yanked out of his gut and stretched into unnatural shapes. His hands pressed against the ground, noting the strange smooth-yet-somehow-rocky feel, before he his stomach twisted into a knot and he threw up the half-digested contents of his last meal.

Yin groaned, wiping his lip on the back of his hand, and pushed away from the disgusting puddle. Shakily, he lifted his glasses from the ground and slipped them back on, stumbling under the effort. His head swam and his stomach lurched, the bile rising in his stomach again, and when he stepped back he nearly fell back over his heels. The darkness swept up behind him, setting him back on his feet with the touch of a loving parent.

And then a blaze of light appeared from nowhere. It crashed forward like a rumbling tank. A horn blared. An unfamiliar, female voice shrieked, "Look out! Look _out!_"

Just as the light swerved inches to the side, the darkness burst forth. It seized Yin, wrapping around his arms and shoulders, yanking his legs off of their balance and throwing him to the side.

The car screeched to a stop, lying diagonally across both lanes, and rocked back onto all fours. The driver's-side door was kicked open, announcing the entrance of a small-bodied, older bald man with a bushy white moustache and a large pair of sunglasses. "What is the matter with you, kid? You can't just stand out in the middle of the road like that!"

"Oh, let it go, Stan," the woman in the passenger seat sighed, stepping out. She was older as well, with a mothering look to her, and her worry showed as she moved to the boy's side. "Are you all right, dear? Are you hurt at all?"

Yin uncurled just a bit, lifting his hands away from his head but not uncurling from his protective fetal position. When the woman reached out to touch him, a shadow leapt forward and wrapped around her wrist to stop it.

The woman shrieked just a little, pulling her arm back. "My goodness…"

"He's a _mutant_," the Man whispered, though his tone was one of awe rather than fear. "What's he doin' out here on his own?"

"I don't know," the woman frowned, her top teeth running over her bottom lip, and reached out for the boy again. The darkness wrapped around her arm once more, but she pushed it enough to place two fingers against the exposed skin of his neck. "It's all right, dear. We just want to help you."

Yin hesitated a moment longer before coming out of his curled state. The shadows slunk away, returning to where they had come from.

The woman smiled and placed her hand fully on his shoulder. "There you go, see? All better. But we're an awfully long way from anything out here. What are you doing out on your own like that?"

"…Ukagai shinai."

Stan quirked one bushy white eyebrow in curiosity. "What was that, now?"

"Boku wa ukagai shinai," the boy sniffed again and rubbed his cheeks to hide the tears. "Ukagai shinai. Ukagai shinai!"

"There there, hun. Quiet now. Shhhh," the woman soothed, rubbing his back comforting as she looked to her companion. "Looks like he doesn't speak English. I didn't understand a word he said."

"Me either," Stan shrugged. "But it sounded like something from Chinatown. Think that's where he came from?"

"Could be. It's the only thing we've got to go on, either way. We can't just leave him out here," the woman looked down at the boy, who was staring up at them with a confused expression. When she spoke to him, the words were slow and clearly pronounced. "We are go-ing to help you. We are go-ing to take you to the ci-ty. Un-der-stand?"

Yin blinked slowly, trying to make his tongue sound the way that hers did. "Sii…ti?"

"That's right," she soothed, helping him to his feet and leading him towards the car as her companion opened the back door for him. "Don't you worry, dear. We'll make sure that you get home safe. I promise…"

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Flare jerked to one side and rolled as a large piece of fiberglass - which had, until seconds ago, been a part of the ceiling - flew towards him. The plastic imbedded itself in the wall just in front of him, so he changed direction again and leapt through the nearest door.

Within seconds, he was on his feet again. His heart was pounding so hard that it took him several minutes to realize that the sounds of the battle had been practically blocked out.

He blinked glancing at the doorway he had entered through. Two thin sheets of plastic covered it, just separated enough that one could push them back and step into the room. In reminded him of the entrance to the big freezer in the butcher's shop back home, and just as the thought crossed his mind he realized just how cold it was.

He shivered and rubbed his arms, trying to figure out what he had stumbled into. There were shelves on the walls, dozens of them, and each shelve held two dozen vials of various-colored liquids, all apparently in cold storage. The room was relatively dark, which probably had something to do with the power being cut during the attack, though small emergency lights ran along the ceiling and walls to guide the way to the door. Refracting through the multicolored vials, the little glowing bulbs looked almost like candles.

Candles…

For a moment, Flare was lost in memories. The first time he'd realized his power, it had been with a candle in the dark. A seasonal storm had blown in and knocked out all the power in their block. It was a normal occurrence for mid-July in Tokyo, and they had been prepared - his mother had brought out the candles, his father had checked in from work through cell phones, his younger brother had hidden under his bed among the protection of the stuffed animals he thought that Takuya didn't know he still had.

He had been moving with one of the candles, going somewhere stupid - probably down to the basement to make sure that the problem wasn't fuse-related - and has slipped. The candle had hit the ground and sparked an old comic book, setting a small flame alight. His hand had slipped into the fire and he had anticipated the burn so much that he almost felt it…

Except that he didn't.

The fire hadn't burned him, in the least. Even more surprising, when he had lifted his hand away, the fire came with him - it sat in his hand and danced harmlessly like an old cartoon.

He could remember, even now, the excitement that welled up inside of him at that moment. The utter euphoria of realizing that he had powers, that he was _special_…

Takuya shook himself out of his thoughts and focused on the room again, scanning his eyes over the labels on the vials. He didn't understand most of it - it was all science-y words about ethanol hyper-chloride or something - but the large red **FAILURE** stamped over each one was obvious enough.

"Nothing good can be accomplished without failure…"

He'd had a teacher who said that to him once. Maybe in grade school. But it had stuck with him over the years, especially when it came to practicing his power. No one else had seen him that one dark night, so he'd been able to practice alone for as long as he wanted, testing the limits of his strength. He'd been able to hold the flame from day one, but making it do what he wanted…that was trickier. Most of his early experiments had ended with something near him unintentionally catching fire. After the third time of explaining away burn marks, he wised up and moved his 'lab' to the back alley, where he only went late at night, when no one else was around.

His late night exercises had left him too tired to concentrate in class. He'd fallen asleep in history that day, and his power reached out to Mrs. Kamiya's candles, and the whole portable was torched…

And then Xavier had shown up…and his parents had finally found out…

Takuya moved into the rear corner of the room, the only place where there were no shelves. There was a filing cabinet there, which looked as though it had been left in a hurry - one of the drawers was still open, and one folder was sticking out away from the others.

Flare picked up the folder and flipped it open. It was full of complicated-looking notes, stuff that reminded him of a glance he'd gotten of Scott's chemistry textbook, but much more advanced. Chemical formulas and diagrams scattered most of the pages, enough to make his head ache just the slightest.

He flipped to the cover page, where Dr. something-scribles-McCaskey had made a few hurried handwritten notes about "Sample 90-21-O+":

"Another failure, but partial regression of mutated tissues has been observed in the experimental sample. We're getting closer to helping these people. The Cure is almost here."

Takuya stared at the words. He stared for a long while, deciphering each advanced word and triple-checking to be absolutely sure that he hadn't read it wrong.

He hadn't.**"The Cure is almost here…"**

"There has to be some kind of cure…"

With a growl, he slammed the folder shut and threw it to the ground. A few pieces flew free and hovered just long enough for him to snatch them up and shred them. He stood there, taking deep breaths, trying to slow his heart even as his own memories stoked the flame of anger burning inside him.

"…closer to helping these people…"

Helping. Why didn't these people get it? There was nothing to help! There never had been! Being a mutant wasn't a curse or a disease, it was a _blessing_. It made them different from everyone else, defined who they were in a way that normal people could never understand.

It didn't make them 'freaks.' It made them unique. It made them extraordinary.

It made them _special_.

Couldn't they see that?

But no. They couldn't see. They thought that mutants needed a cure.

They thought that _he_ needed a cure.

Reaching down, he plucked the folder off the ground again. He clutched it in both hands, shaking, hardly able to control himself.

"Takuya, listen…there has to be a way to fix this. Some kind of cure."

"Cure? Dad…

"I don't need a goddamn cure," Flare growled, clenching his fists, and the folder burst into flame.

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

A piece of plastic support came flying at her, glowing lightly with the obvious aura of ambient energy. Zypher shrieked and ducked beneath it, somersaulting through the back draft of her own wind and landing stealthily on the ground as the debris hit the nearest wall and exploded.

A fire erupted almost instantly, but it had only blazed for a few seconds before Yuki suddenly appeared, dousing the flames with a burst of ice. "Zumi, you okay?"

"Yeah, fine…Thanks, Tomoki…" The blonde sighed and straightened, one hand pressed against her heart with a sigh. Her blue-green eyes darted around the destruction, her body tense as she gathered a ball of wind around her hand. "Where're the others?"

"Flare's ahead of us," the boy reported, jumping down to stand on the same level as her. "Yang, too. I think he went down the other hall, we might have passed him up The others are all behind…I think that guy with the cards is holding them up…"

The pair glanced up and leapt back in one motion, just as Lightening Bug came flying towards them. He twisted in mid-air and landed hard on his side, avoiding any real damage but knocking the air clean out of him.

He sat up with a groan, rubbing his neck as Zypher and Yuki hurried to check on him. "You okay?"

"Yeah…" Junpei groaned, rolling his head back to look at them. "That Blob guy got the jump on me, and…woah, what the hell happened here?"

Izumi and Tomoki blinked at him, then turned back and looked at where they had entered into. The hallway had collapsed inward, great slabs of plastic rubble covering what remained of the floor. The right-hand wall had been almost completely destroyed, opening out into the wasteland-like outer grounds, while the other was only held in place by the still-mostly-in-one-piece ceiling that made up another hall entirely.

Junpei let out a whistle. "Woah. What a mess."

"You don't think anyone's in there, do you?" Yuki asked hesitantly, his hands cupped over his mouth.

"I don't know," Zypher muttered, summoning a wind to lift her over onto the nearest piece of debris. "But we better check it out. Come on!"

The trio darted forward, leaving the battle behind to examine the wreckage. With her natural quick movements and mutant skill, Zypher was able to move the most easily and quickly, which was why she was the first to hear the soft voice calling out from the very end of the hall.

"Nii-san…cough…somebody, get me out of here! Nii-san…"

"Kouji?"

From beneath a piece of ceiling, the dark-haired boy looked up at him. Zypher darted around him and landed on the other side, careful not to touch the plastic holding him hostage - it looked as though it were pressing down on his back. She reached out to touch his shoulder worriedly. "Oh, god. Are you okay? Anything broken?"

"I'm _fine_," the boy growled, and Izumi jerked her hand back as though afraid he would bite her. Which, from the look on his face, was not too unfounded a fear. "Just stuck. Get me out of here, _now_, we don't have time for this!"

"We'll get you out," Izumi assured, calling the other two over to move the rubble. "But what do you mean we don't have time? It's not like we're going anywhere."

"No, but _he_ is!"

Junpei grunted a bit, gripping the edge of the ceiling-piece in preparation. "Who's 'he'?"

"Nii-san…"

All three of the newcomers stopped. The vulnerability in Kouji's voice was not something that they were familiar with. Even throughout his brother's 'illness,' he'd always stood so strong…so tough and stoic. Like nothing in the world could break through his shell.

Though, now at least, that shell was as broken as the hall they stood in.

"Nii-san is _here_," he whispered, sounding pained. "He's here and he's scared and confused and…I've got to find him again. I just _have_ to…"

"I know," Izumi whispered kindly, touching his head and glancing at the others meaningfully. "Don't worry, Kouji. We'll get you out of here, and we'll get to him. I promise. Just hold on a little bit longer…"

**_TBC..._**

You know what? That scary!Takuya is really fun to write…I hope his part wasn't too confusing. Kouichi's mind isn't the only one that's getting scrambled up in this story.

P.S. - Please tell me somebody caught my little in-joke in the first scene. I felt like paying homage to my favorite superhero creator. I wouldn't be writing this if it weren't for him.


	12. Puzzle Peices

Wow. I cannot explain how utterly confusing my placement of these scenes has been. I think I wrote the last half of this chapter before I finished the beginning of the last one…

Just because some people were confused, my random reference was to Stan "The Man" Lee, original creator of the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Incredible Hulk, and so many other awesome superheroes from the Marvelverse, who always gets a cameo of some kind in the Marvel movies (the new Fantastic Four had the best one, I think) He also happens to be the host and creator of my favorite reality show - "Who Wants to be a Superhero?"

EDIT Take 2: I. Hate. Document manager. Should be fixed this time. For real. If it's not, I'm going to start throwing things. Gr.

I don't own Digimon or X-Men Evolution. So sue me. No wait…don't.

The X-Evolution - Memories

Chapter 11: Puzzle/Pieces

Scott Summers dodged a hail of plastic bullets, bracing his hand against the edge of his visor to open the beam for a split second. A blast of ruby red energy shot from his eyes, melting the plastic weapon into the wall it had come from.

Slipping the visor closed again, the young leader of the X-Men glanced around him for the others. "Shadowcat, Rouge, watch your back!"

Kitty grabbed the short-haired girl by the shoulder and phased them both through the plastic net that had been flying at them. Cyclops wheeled around, his keen eye for danger picking out the next threat. "Iceman, on right!"

Bobby twisted, firing a blast of ice to stop the next hail of bullets in its tracks. Scott took a few steps away from the battle, scanning his eyes over it for any more problems, but registered nothing unusual except for the smoke…

Wait, smoke?

Cyclops turned, his eyes widening behind his visor. Smoke poured out from a small, semi-destroyed hall on his right, wiggling down from a small doorway quite a bit further down. Following his first instinct, Scott dashed down the hallway to see if anyone was stuck there.

He found only one person - a familiar younger boy standing in the open door, watching the smoke with narrowed eyes.

"Flare," Cyclops sighed, coming to his teammate's side. "Are you okay? What happened."

Takuya didn't answer him. Scott frowned with concern, reaching out to make sure he was okay. "Flare…?"

The younger boy yanked his arm out of the other's grasp. "Don't touch me."

"What…?"

Scott finally turned his eyes to the room, and stared. It had been almost completely gutted by flame, destroying everything in its path. Charred shelves lay broken on the ground, a few barely managing to hold on with one grasping bolt. In the corner, a filing cabinet had been completely consumed, leaving only a rickety metal skeleton behind. The plastic walls were black with soot and showed places where they had begun to melt, while the floor was scattered with the remains of dozens of destroyed plastic canisters.

And yet…the destruction had not gone past the door. It had not spread into the other rooms nor pushed out into the debris of the hall. And the only thing that could cause a controlled burn like that was power.

_Mutant_ power.

"What is this…what have you done?"

Flare glanced at him out of the corner of his eyes, but said nothing. His expression remained as neutral as ever.

"Takuya," Scott's voice deepened to a commanding tone, masking the fear that was starting to rise up in him. "What did you _do_?"

The younger boy turned to him. In his right hand, he held a single sheet of paper, wadded up into a tight little ball. He held it right under Scott's nose just long enough for the senior to wonder what he was doing, just before it burst into flame.

"Not right now, Cyclops," Flare hissed, his voice low and dangerous. "Not. Right. Now."

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

_"Jean!"_

The psychic slid to a stop, her read hair not quiet catching up with the rest of her and flopping over her shoulder sloppily. She took a moment to check to make sure that she was in a secure place, then tapped into her mental world. _"Yes, Professor? What is it?"_

_"It's Yin. Something is wrong. I'm beginning to lose track of him."_

Jean stopped, pulling her mind away from the battle and stretching out into the surrounding area. Towards the end of her range, she came into contact with a familiar, somewhat jumbled signal. It was gradually moving away, getting further by the second.

_"I've found him, Professor. He's…moving."_

_"I know," _the man's mental voice sounded worried, but distracted, as though he were attempting to do a dozen other things at once - which, knowing the Professor's most effective battle strategy, was probably true. _"I can't reach him now, I have to manage the others. But we can't afford to lose him now. Reach out to him, Jean, find out where he's going, and more importantly, his current mental state."_

_"All…All right, Professor…"_

She quietly broke out of the mental connection, gazing around her for a safe place. Journeying into another person's mind was dangerous in the most natural of situations, but given how unstable Kouichi's was at this time, and the battle that was only now starting to wind down, she'd have to find a way to…

_"Jean!"_

She turned to find Cyclops coming up behind her, dragging a rather solemn-looking Flare by the arm. Her sigh of relief was preempted when she noticed the strange soot marks on their skin, and the way that Scott was glaring at Takuya as though scolding a small child.

"What happened to you two?"

Scott scowled at Takuya meaningfully, getting a disgusted glare in return, and turned away from him with a sigh. "Nothing."

"O…kay," Jean glanced between them slowly and suppressed the shudder that arose when she brushed against Takuya's currently ice-cold mental state. Her green eyes turned to her leader and boyfriend seriously. "Scott, I'm going after Yin."

"Wha-?"

"On the mental plane," she explained quickly, her fingers brushing against her forehead for emphasis. "He's moving away, and I have to catch up with his mind before we lose him again."

Cyclops frowned and his brow furled. "Jean, that doesn't make sense…Magneto's still here, the whole Brotherhood is, why would Yin be…?"

"I don't _know_, Scott!" The girl hissed, shaking her head. "That's why I need to _find out_!"

The boy backed off, nodding a bit in understanding. He reached out and grabbed Takuya by the arm again, stopping the younger boy's escape attempt in the process, and turned back to the girl with a nod. "Okay. So what do you want me to do?"

"Watch my body while I'm gone," Jean sighed, settling into a seated position against the wall. "Make sure nothing happens. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"All right. I'll be here."

She gave him a grateful little smile, then sighed, readying herself. She pressed her fingers into her temples, focusing on the pressure, before closing her eyes and releasing her consciousness out to follow the path she had laid for it, a path that lead right to the mind of their missing teammate.

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Jean stepped into the field of the mind cautiously, making her way through the shadows with measured steps. The mental world was shrouded in darkness and fog, almost of all of it cloaked from her sight, but she already knew that it wasn't her place to pry into those areas. That wasn't her goal now.

"No…Not right…That's not it…"

The voice reached her ears like soft ringing, its tone shifting between innocent confusion and panic. Jean turned to follow it, and as she did, the mist seemed to part, leading her right to him.

Kouichi sat on the ground, his legs pulled beneath him in the eastern style, which allowed him to lean up on his knees to extend his reach. He looked about five years old. All around him, strange multicolored shapes were scattered across the ground - blues and golds here, purples and blacks there, reds and greens scattered amongst them all. Clutched in the boy's hands was half-finished object about the size of a basketball, the three dimensional puzzle that the pieces belongs to. Kouichi was trying his hardest to assemble it, but the task seemed impossible - the puzzle changed shape and color each time a piece found its hole, and the pieces themselves seemed to morph into new shapes from the time his fingers brushed against them.

Despite this, the boy kept trying, kept pushing the pieces into slots that they didn't quite belong in. He licked his lips and whimpered to himself, whispering over and over, "Not that one…doesn't go here. Doesn't fit…"

Jean frowned and stepped forward, reaching out to him. "Kouichi…?"

"Not right…it doesn't fit right…it's not right…"

"…Yin?"

The boy twisted around, dropping the piece that he had been holding. He clutched the puzzle to his chest and looked up at her with big eyes. "Who are you?"

His voice sounded strange - somehow younger than she knew that he was, as though he was a small child trapped in the body of the teenager. Jean's expression softened, and she came to knell down beside him. "I'm nobody important," she sighed, brushing hair out of her eyes. "What are you working on?"

"I don't know," he turned away from her and started working on the strange puzzle again, picking up a piece that now looked completely different again.

"I see…"

"I know it all fits together," he muttered, turning the puzzle around to see it from another angle. "But I can't…quite get it…it's not right. None of it is right yet…"

The piece he was holding slipped into place, and the whole atmosphere changed. Suddenly, Yin was sobbing, his hands shaking so hard that he could hardly hold the strange device, and, when he looked to her again, large tears poured from his eyes like rivers.

"I _know_ you!" He sobbed, his voice and face suddenly holding a much older quality, as though he had aged ten years in a single second. "I know I'm supposed to remember you! But I can't…I _can't_!"

With a stuttering cry, he dropped face-first onto the ground, pulling at his hair with both hands as the puzzle rolled a few inches away. "What's wrong with me? Why can't I remember? Why? I can't…remember… anything…"

"Just calm down," Jean whispered, placing her left hand on his shoulder in a supportive manner. She felt herself growing indistinct, almost as though she was fading away - Yin must be getting further and further from them, outside of the range of her powers. "You can fix it, don't worry. It just takes time. A little work, and you'll be better in no time."

The boy sniffled, disbelieving. Jean pushed what she hoped was a comforting grin onto her face, reaching out to take the puzzle herself. "Look, see, I'll help you. I'm pretty good at puzzles, let me give it a…"

Yin's shriek startled her, but not near as much as when he suddenly threw himself forward and snatched up the puzzle with both arms, scrambling away from her on all fours like an animal protecting its young. He clutched its ever-moving form close to his chest, the pieces around them scattering in all directions.

"Don't touch it!" he screamed, his expression wild. "You'll break it! Stay away, I'll do it myself! I'll do it myself! Don't touch me!"

"Yin!" Jean gasped, reaching out for him again. "Kouichi, calm down, please!"

"Don't touch me!" the boy yelled. "Stay away! Just go away! _Go away!_"

"Kouichi…"

The darkness sprung to life, diving at jean in great waves to completely consume her consciousnesses. At that instant, Yin passed outside of Jean's range, and she vanished harmlessly from his mind.

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

"How is he?"

The woman turned in her seat, gazing over her shoulder. The boy they had picked up was slumped against the door, his forehead pressed to the glass and his eyes closed.

"He's fallen asleep. The poor dear."

"Let him sleep," the man whispered, keeping his eyes on the road. "From the looks of it, he needs the rest."

As the woman turned back, the darkness beneath the seats rose again, wrapping around its master's body like a warm cocoon. Yin shifted in his dream, his hands groping for pieces of the unseen puzzle, and a single tear drifted down his cheek.

**_TBC..._**

I think I've been watching too much Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles…Takuya is starting to channel Raphael. And I always thought he was more of a Mikey, myself…


	13. Delicate Deals

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Digimon or X-Men Evolution. So sue me. No wait…don't._

**The X-Evolution - Memories**

**Chapter 12: Delicate/Deals**

"Jean? _Jean!_"

The red haired mutant jerked back to consciousness with a strangled gasp, sitting straight up and almost knocking an exceptionally worried Cyclops to the ground. With excellent balance, Scott managed to not only stay up-right in his knelling position, but also keep himself from dropping the girl he had been shaking, and forgot the incident almost instantly in his rush to check on her condition. "Are you all right, Jean? What happened?"

Jean drew in a few more strangled, rushed breaths, her hair falling into her eyes sloppily. She brushed them away with an awkward swipe of her hand, managing to push out a few words. "I…I found him…"

"Yin?" Scott's body tensed. "You found him? Where is he, is he okay?"

"Well…" Jean took another deep breath, this one slower and more evenly exhaled. When she spoke again, her voice was calmer, gentler, and tinged with a thick layer of concern. "That depends on what you mean by 'okay.' As much as I hate to say it, I've got good news and…bad news."

Scott blinked a few times behind his visor. Clichés were not something that Jean tended to use on a regular basis, and it felt strange to hear one come out of her mouth. "Um…okay. So, what's the 'good news'?"

"The good news is, he's not being controlled," Jean finally managed to steady her breathing completely, straightening her back and squaring her shoulders in a more determined manner. "Magneto's not using anyone to interfere with his mind, and there's no sign of Dusk. He's not being forced to do anything. He's just…confused."

Cyclops growled a bit under his breath, his hands curling into fists at his side. "_Bastards_. They must have been threatening him to make them work for them. Is he hurt?"

Jean sighed and shook her head. "Not physically. He's not in pain. He's just…confused.

"Well, that's good," Cyclops sighed, placing one hand against his temple. "Not great, but…good. Now, what's the bad news?"

"The bad news is…" One last breath, this one coming out as more of a groan. "He's _not_ being controlled. Not even by him. He can't understand anything well enough to make decisions on his own, he's running on pure instinct, and even _that_'s not working right. He's terrified, and he's completely out of control."

This time, it was Cyclops who groaned, closing his eyes behind the lens of his visor. "Well, then…we just have to find him, right? If we find him, we can help him get his head back in order, and…"

"It's not that simple."

Scott cut off, glancing at his girlfriend in concern. Jean gave him a strained look and pushed up to her feet, stepping away from the wall and reminding herself of the balance required to walk properly. "Yin's in a bad way, Scott. His mind is…so fragile now. It's already been broken, and he's doing everything he can to put it back together, but it's going to take time. At this point, any little shock, any sudden jolt to the system, could break him…destroy him."

One of Scott's eyebrows quirked over the top of his visor. "It can't be any worse than he is now."

"But that's just it, Scott - it _can_," Jean stressed the last word, bracing her hand against the wall to support herself. "If something happens this time, it won't just be his memories that break, everything will - his mind, his personality. Kouichi could reset all the way back to the beginning of his life, have to re-learn how to walk and everything, or worse: 'Kouichi' could cease to exist altogether. He wouldn't be himself anymore, he wouldn't be anything, just an empty…shell."

The field leader of the X-Men considered this information for a moment, stirring it in his mind, processing it all, and finally coming to a conclusion. "Then the sooner we find him, the better. We have to get to him before anything happens."

With a sigh, the red-head nodded, and Scott gave her a supportive pat on the shoulder before switching back to his preferred leader mode. "Right, then. Jean, you contact the Professor and tell him what you've found out. We'll have to pull back as quickly as possible to catch up with Yin. Takuya, you're…"

He turned back and realized, suddenly, that the young fire-starter had disappeared, and the hall behind him was completely empty, save for the steadily fading sounds of a dying battle.

"Oh, for the love of…!" Scott swore loudly, barely controlling the urge to stamp his foot in frustration. "Where the hell did he go?"

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

After five minutes of darting through the halls, Takuya slowed his pace to a walk, completely certain that he'd slipped out of Cyclops's grasp - and his sight - for at least a little while. He stopped moving at a far corner, bracing his hand against the wall, and took a moment to catch his breath. He couldn't help but smirk a little when a minute of listening yielded no other sounds in the vicinity, including, but not limited to, footsteps. Nothing felt better than pulling one over 'the Man.' Even if that 'Man' was just an annoying _sempai_ with an over-inflated ego.

"You're looking quite pleased with yourself, young man."

Takuya jumped a foot, spinning around and wiping out one of the paper sheets he'd tucked away into his pocket. It smoked, sparked and lit almost instantly, throwing faded orange light onto the pale white face that anyone who had been specially trained by the X-Men would recognize on the spot.

"_Magneto."_

The man's slight smile spread into a noble-looking smirk, and he let himself bow just the slightest bit like a circus performer about to take the stage. "The very same."

Takuya braced his feet a bit more and cupped the flame in his hand, ready for an attack. "Stay. Away."

"Calm yourself, boy," the red-clothed mutant waved his hand dismissively. His blue eyes flickered to the flame, and to the ashy remains of the paper that had started it, and he nodded. "Quite the talent you've developed there. Manipulating heat to actually create a flame independent of outside ignition. Impressive."

A light scowl crossed Takuya's face. Magneto's voice sounded almost…complementary. Admiring. Appreciative. "What do you care?"

"I've always prided myself with an eye for talent," Magneto said airily, his voice flattering. "And, while the world shall never be in want for pyrokentics, very few mutants of the variety ever reach the level of control that you have now. I'll take it that the storage lab in sector five was your doing? Your evolution has progressed to a level that most would never dare dream of. Most impressive."

A light ripple of anger rolled through Takuya's body, and the flame in his hand jumped to a new level of strength. "Is that what you told Yin? When you _kidnapped_ him?"

Magneto's thin lips pursed together, and he leaned back a bit to avoid the sudden blast of heat. "You misunderstand."

"I _understand_ that you lured him off on his own, probably messed with his head, and took him," Takuya growled a little, and the flames blazed even brighter in his hand. "Sounds an awful lot like kidnapping to me."

"Yin chose to join our ranks of his own accord," Magneto insisted calmly. "And we have been able to help him."

"How? Making him do your dirty work?"

Magneto did not deny the notion - he simply shrugged, remaining eternally nonchalant. "A developing mind requires activity to encourage stimulation and developmental progress."

Takuya's scowl deepened into a disgusted sneer. "You're sick."

"So many have said," the faint grin extended just a little more, stretching the thin skin of the older man's face like a piece of chewed gum. "Then again, many have said the same of your…_condition_, have they not?"

Takuya jerked back as violently as if he had been slapped, his teeth gritting together as his father's words…his mother's, his teachers', his so-called _friends_' words… echoed again in his head.

The movement did not escape Magneto's gaze, and his focus increased at the sight. He stepped forward regally, holding his head high, but dropped his voice down to a low, enticing whisper.

"That's the reason they're doing this, isn't it? To 'cure' you. To cure us," he reached out and placed a firm, almost fatherly hand on the young boy's shoulder. "They can't see. They don't understand that there is nothing wrong, that the only ones who have a problem the ones who can't accept that there are those in this world more talented than they. More _special_."

Takuya gulped, and the air stuck hard in his dry throat. He shouldn't be listening to this, shouldn't be thinking about it, shouldn't be letting the damn man _touch_ him. Magneto was a liar, a monster who twisted words and manipulated people to bend their mind to his will. He used people, then abandoned them, that was how he had always worked…

The flame in his hand flickered and died away. His arm swung down to rest at his side.

"You _do_ understand," Magneto smiled a bit and gave his shoulder a strong, confident squeeze. "Tell me, what do they call you?"

"…Flare."

"Flare," Magneto seemed to contemplate the name a moment and decided that it suited his needs. He leaned down a bit and whispered to the boy, his voice low and tempting. "Let me make you an offer…"

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"Ready? One, two, _three!"_

On the final count, Zypher summoned up a gale-force blast of wind, sweeping it up and under to lift the largest sheet of plastic rubble a few inches off the ground, pivoting back on its far corner. A few steps behind her and to the right, Yuki fired a blast of ice into the stream of the air, creating a thick white pillar that supported the broken rubble, keeping it at the height dictated by the wind.

With a flare from Izumi's hand, the gust of air suddenly cut off, leaving the heavy, broken plastic supported by the ice for a few precious moments. Kouji rolled to one side, yanking his leg free, as Lightning Bug reached in and hauled the rest of him out by the arms. A second later, the ice pillar gave in and the rubble crashed back into place.

"There we go," Junpei grinned brightly, hoisting the smaller boy up to stand on his feet. "Nothin' to it! All in one piece, buddy?"

Kouji coughed, forcing the air back into his lungs, and glared just a little out of the corner of his eye. "Peachy."

He pushed out of the older boy's grasp and headed for the opening in the wall, jumping over the broken shards that still defined the outside of the building. He stumbled a bit on the ankle he'd caught, leaving a tiny splatter of blood, but straightened again almost instantly.

"Hey, Kouji…" Tomoki darted forward, his small frame making it easy for him to hop over the rubble to reach their teammate. "What are you doing? You're hurt!"

"It's not that bad," the boy growled a little under his breath and hissed at the mild pain.

"Yeah, but it'll get that way pretty quick unless you take it easy," Junpei pointed out.

Izumi kicked off the ground and darted forward on a gust of air, landing just in front of Kouji. "They're right. Let us help you. We'll get that thing wrapped up, and then we'll figure out what to do."

"We don't have _time_ for that," Kouji muttered, trying to push past. "I have to get to him. He's all alone out there, and it's been…so long."

Izumi's face softened, and she reached out to put a hand on his shoulder. "Listen, Kouji. I know you're worried about your brother, we all are. But this…running out there on your own, especially while you're _hurt_, isn't going to help anyone."

"She's right, y'know. Gotta keep yer head on straight, boy-o."

Starting backwards, Kouji twisted at the sudden, heavily-accented voice, and Izumi drew in a surprised gasp. There was a man standing on the edge of the rubble, a tall redhead in a long brown jacket, twirling a playing card between his fingers in a cocky manner. Everything about his stance screamed confidence - and attitude - on a level that could have been compared to the stadium commentary at the Super Bowl.

Tomoki turned around so quickly that he nearly fell over, and Junpei leapt away. "Y-You! You're…"

"One of them…" Izumi finished, her voice light and airy. "You're one of the ones with Magneto…one of the Brotherhood…"

"Aye, missy, that I am," the man smirked in his almost overly-confident manner, slipping his card away into a pocket as he strode across the rubble towards them. His balance was unnaturally good as he practically tip-toed across the broken plastic, using his free hand to wave away the sparks that Junpei was beginning to form. "But that don't mean there's any reason fer you tuh be worryin', now. Ah ain't been watchin' all this time tuh hurt any o' yeh."

Tomoki moved as though about to attack or defend, but Kouji blocked his path with one hand. The dark-haired boy stepped forward, a light frown crossing over his face. "What do you want?"

"Just as the little lady said," the Brotherhood member flashed Izumi an award-winning 'bad boy' smile. "Yeh ain't gonna do nobody no good to wander off into the darkness all on yer lonesome. Ah figured I could offer yeh a bit o' help."

Kouji's eyes narrowed. "What kind of help?"

The grinned widened into a laughing smirk, and the man came to a stop mere inches from Kouji. With Junpei behind him, Tomoki to the right, a half-crumbled wall to the left and Izumi providing back-up from the front, he was completely surrounded. And yet, all he did when he reached his destination of choice was spread his arms wide, palms up to reveal his total lack of weapons, and let a little gleam of fiery mischief flicker in the depths of his eyes.

"Whattya say we make ourselves a deal?"

_**TBC…**_

And now Gambit is suddenly channeling Captain Jack Sparrow. It took all the control I had not to add the word 'savvy' to the end of his last line. That said, wouldn't Johnny Depp make an _awesome_ Gambit? Give him a slightly-crazy Cajun accent instead of the slightly-crazy British that he's so famous for, dye his hair red and viola.

Also, Magneto's actions will be explained in the next chapter. We will also see the fall-out among the Brotherhood because of Kouichi running off (finally!)

And, just because I know you're worried, Kouichi is still safely asleep in the back seat of the nice couple's car. We'll see what he's gotten himself into next chapter.


	14. Transitions Transportation

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Digimon or X-Men Evolution. So sue me. No wait…don't._

**The X-Evolution - Memories**

**Chapter 13: Transitions/Transportation**

Telepathic messages tended to be clearest when they were kept simple, direct and accompanied by little or no outward emotion. The order broadcast from neuron to neuron throughout the X-men via the Professor's powers was no different.

"_Regroup. We're moving out."_

A ripple of confusion rolled through the teens, most of whom hadn't gotten even the smallest bit of information throughout the fight, but they followed their teacher's orders and retreated back to the Blackbird. The not-so-small plane filled quickly with chattering teenagers, getting several minor wounds patched up and asking, one on top of the other, what had happened, why they had been pulled out, whether their struggle had managed to do anything at all.

The answers they were given were as short and sweet as the retreat order: The lab had been neutralized, but, because of their intervention, with minimum causalities. The Brotherhood had gone into a retreat, but Yin had been separated from them. The X-men were now returning to their primary objective of finding and retrieving their missing teammate.

The only problem thus far being that not all of their ranks seemed to have gotten the message.

"Where _are_ they?"

Logan growled a little in the depths of his throat at Scott's words, turning his eyes back out the main windows of the Blackbird's cockpit. Once again, his mind went over a list of the missing - Zypher, Yuki, Lightning Bug, Flare and Yang - and his keen eyes searched for any sign of them, but there was nothing. "Somethin' stinks here, Chuck."

Professor X sighed, folding his hands together and closing his eyes. He blocked out the rest of the voices around him, ignoring the watchful, worried eyes of his students and reached out over the battle field, searching for their missing members.

"_Tomoki, Izumi…" _he whispered softly, reaching out for the two he considered the most responsible in this particular situation. If nothing else, at least some of them should be together, and it would be a good place to start. "_You need to return to Blackbird immediately, all of you. We're moving out. We need to find Yin."_

After just a moment, another mind latched on to his - Zypher's - but the connection was indistinct, shaky, as though she could hardly focus her own thoughts. At the edge of her consciousness, Xavier thought he could hear propellers, but it was hard to tell over the raging of the girl's flurried heartbeat and the swirling haze of near-panic.

"_Sorry, Professor. I think we're going to have to meet you there…"_

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"We. Are going. To _die!_"

Kouji gritted his teeth against the reverberating sound of Junpei's exclamation, only barely resisting the urge to agree. He glanced across the tiny cockpit of the sole military helicopter that _hadn't_ been torn apart during the battle, and braced his arms against the walls to glare at Gambit in a more steady manner. "Do you _really_ know how to fly this thing?"

"Sure thing, boy-o," Gambit glanced over his shoulder, giving the younger mutant a toothy, lopsided grin. His hands remained firmly on the controls, pulling the copter out of its twisting spin and pulling up for more altitude. "Plenty of experience, yous got nothin' tuh worry 'bout."

With another pull, he leveled off the flight, clear of anything on the ground but still close enough to clearly see movement on the ground via a pair of searchlights and the flight pattern stabilized. He nudged the controls to the side, causing a bit of a dip as he pulled the copter on course, and then everything was calm again.

The four teenagers let out a collective relived breath.

Once their hearts had fallen into a more regular beat, Izumi leaned back in her seats, brushing a few long locks of hair back into their appropriate place. "…The Professor's calling us, you guys."

Kouji grit his teeth. "Tell him we're busy."

"He's calling a retreat. They're going to try to track Kouichi."

Gambit grinned, running a hand through his spiky read hair. "Then ask 'em if they've got an inklin' of where the lad's goin'. They'll search one way, we'll get he other."

Junpei and Izumi frowned at each other, and Izumi nibbled on her bottom lip nervously. "What do I tell him…? He's not gonna be happy about this."

"It's too late to regret it now," Kouji said firmly, not looking back, instead leaning forward to gaze out the windows, trying to spot any familiar movement in the dark. "Just tell him the truth."

"But…"

"No worries, cher," Gambit grinned again, winking at her with the expression of the 'bad boy' in a romance movie. "Ya'll can trust ol' Gambit. We'll have Yin back in place where he needs tuh be before yeh can think."

Tomoki leaned forward, sticking his head into the cockpit, and blinked at the new addition to their group curiously. "I don't get it. You're one of Magneto's guys, right? Why are you helping us?"

"Yeah," Junpei scowled. "Just who's side are you on, buddy?"

Gambit gave a simple, nonchalant little shrug, his eyes serious for the first time since the copter had taken off. He didn't look at them, didn't smile, didn't even smirk, keeping his voice and his expression perfectly even.

"I'm on Yin's side."

And the copter's motor covered up everything else.

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"I'm only going to ask you one more time," Mystique's gold eyes narrowed sharply, a dark fire burning in their depths. "Where. Is. Yin?"

The four boys winced, cringing back from the verbal attacks and closing their eyes in vain hope that they could block out the sight of the most venomous woman any of them knew determined to go after their blood.

There was a long moment of awkward silence before Toad finally decided to speak. "We really dunno, man. We thought he was goin' to find you!"

"We _told_ you to keep an eye on him!" Mystique snapped, and Toad leapt back under her new assault. "He has the mental capacity of a five-year-old, it _should_ have been a simple task! Even _you_ should have been able to handle it!"

"It's not that big of a deal," Avalanche scowled, crossing his arms over his chest. "What do we need that stupid kid for, anyway? It's not like he's any good for anything! He's just a stupid bleeding heart with some stupid shadow puppets!"

Mystique turned to him sharply, her eyes sharper and fiercer than ever before. "Only because of the state he is in. You have _seen_ with your _own eyes_ what kinda of power he's capable of at full strength. That kind of power is more than _anything_ Xavier _or_ the fools in the government could dream of, and if you have lost it…"

"'It' is not lost, my dear. Nothing is ever lost."

The group turned to face Magneto as their leader strode forward. Just a step behind him, a smaller, younger figure clad in black and orange was shuffling in, glancing around at them in a manner that was both confident and awkward.

Quicksilver acted first, straightening into a tense stance and pointing wildly at a rather cold-looking Flare. "What's _he_ doing here? Don't tell me we're adopting _another one_ of these stupid X-kids!"

"Flare's current contract is temporary," Magneto phrased his words very coolly, looking back at the boy with a crafty expression and a knowing grin. "He will be assisting our search until we have located Yin. We'll be needing the extra firepower, what with Gambit's sudden change of heart…"

"Wait - the cajun's gone AWOL, too?" Blob demanded. "So we get two X-freaks, but lose the real firepower? What the hell is going on with this bunch?"

"Nothing for you to be concerned with," Magneto waved his hand dismissively. "It's a simple matter of shuffling and re-dealing the game."

"Oh yeah?" Avalanche's scowl deepened. "So how's our hand lookin', with this crap?"

Magneto's smirk spread a bit wider. "A royal flush."

With that, brushed past them, leading the 'Brotherhood plus one' out of the battlefield without another word, smiling like a general striding away from his grandest and most glorious victory.

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"Here we are, dear."

The boy stepped out of the car and wobbled a bit, nearly falling over, but the man caught him by one arm and helped him stand upright again. The small fingers were unusually strong for the man's old age, and he smiled at the boy brightly as he set him upright. "Woah, easy there, boy. Don't want you to be hurting yourself."

The boy looked up at him and gave one short nod, but glanced quickly away from them and frowned to himself. He did not know them. The man did not look like any of the men in his memories - though the white hair was a bit familiar. The woman was not Mother because she did not _act_ like any Mother he knew.

Really, if he thought about it, he couldn't really remember exactly what 'Mother' acted like, per say - he just knew that he'd _know_ when he saw it. And this lady wasn't it.

Though she was nice.

He also knew that what they were calling him - 'Boy' - wasn't his name, not really. Then again he couldn't seem to remember what his name actually _was_, so he kinda figured that 'Boy' would do for now. There were worse things to be called, he figured, even if he couldn't remember what they were.

While he was thinking about it all, the lady gently took his arm by the elbow and lead him up some steep steps to a squat, ugly looking building with a big shield carved into the plaster above the door and an elaborate white star painted onto the window. There were people inside the building, lots of them, he could see them through the glass door. Most of them were wearing blue uniforms that meant something on the edge of his mind, but there were a few others who were not, and those people didn't look happy.

The door opened with a little ringing noise, and Yin's eyes ached as they stepped into the bright building. He used one hand to push his glasses up into place and hovered close to the nice woman.

"Hello," another voice, a man this time, one of the people in blue, spoke from nowhere, drawing their attention to him and the desk he sat at, waving them over. "What can I do for you?"

"We found this kiddo here out in the middle of nowhere," the old man said, nudging Yin forward, a little away from the woman but not too far. "Doesn't speak English, but he sounds too confused to just be on his own. Thought we'd bring him in, make sure there's no missing person warrants on him. He's a mutant."

The man in blue turned his eyes - which were hard and dark and kinda scary and they sparked a bit at the word mutant - to Yin, and looked him up and down. "Dark-haired adolescent of Asian decent…that doesn't narrow it down to much 'round here. Has he said his name?"

"Not that we've heard," the woman looked down at Yin, touching his shoulder gently. "Can you tell us your name, dear? Na-mae?"

Yin blinked at her, recognizing the word only once it was stretched. But he didn't really know, Yin was just what he was calling himself, and it didn't seem right to tell them that…

"Noutsute wa itenai."

"He doesn't know," the officer translated, hands flying over the keyboard. "Amnesia, I'll guess. Makes things a little tricky, but it's not impossible to figure out, we'll just narrow it down. What color are his eyes?"

The woman blinked at him, a bit surprised. "I'm not sure."

"He's had those glasses on the whole time, that's why," the older man clicked his tongue in an amused manner, moving around his wife and reaching for the glasses with the outstretched fingers of both hands. "Easy enough to fix."

Yin pulled back, only to be stopped after a few inches by the woman's hand still at his shoulders. He twisted in her grip, pushing his neck back as far as it could go while still shaking his head back and forth. "Iie…Iie…"

"What's the matter with him?" The blue man asked, straightening and leaning over his desk.

"He doesn't understand what's going on," the older man sighed, shaking his head before speaking to Yin directly, never lowering his hands. "I'm not going to hurt you, kiddo. We just want to see your eyes."

"Iie…Iie!" Yin reached out without thinking, his powers stretching to the shadows that hid beneath the desks and in the far corners, gathering them together. They swept into one group beneath the blue man's desk. The fingers gripped his glasses, gently beginning to life them away from his eyes. "_IIE!"_

The darkness burst to life, throwing the desk across the room and balling the blue man over. It went straight for the florescent lights, snapping the bulbs with violent crashes and raining sparks and glass down on the people below. People screamed, noise filling the building, a few frantic shots were fired and the windows shattered into hundreds of pieces sharp enough to rip a person to shreds.

Seconds later, Yin was on the street again, all alone and running without anywhere to go.

_**TBC…**_

Well…I don't like the Brotherhood scene, but I couldn't think of anything else and I feel totally frustrated because I haven't updated in a week. And I apologize for the entire chapter of transitions. It's just what the story needed. I don't think I got Kouichi's "I don't know" line right - actually, I'm pretty sure I didn't. So please don't…tear me apart for it.

Also, if you couldn't figure out, "Iie" means "no." It is pronounce "EE-ay," BTW.

I'll get the next chapter up ASAP, I promise. Next chapter is Kouichi-centric and there's a special character showing up (finally!) that'll make some people smile. Please remember to leave a review! (I feel like I'm losing my touch…)


	15. Charcoal Feathers

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Digimon or X-Men Evolution. So sue me. No wait…don't._

**The X-Evolution - Memories**

**Chapter 14: Charcoal/Feathers**

Yin ran through the streets at top speed, not looking where he was going and not caring in the least. Behind his glasses, his eyes were pushed shut against the bright lights, and his hands were clamped over his ears to block out the raging noises of the city around him. His path was wild, unguided, but no one and nothing stayed in his path long enough for him to run into it.

All around him, the darkness of the night and the shadows of the street sprung to life, wrapping around him in a protective blanket, swiping out ahead of him to push creatures and people clear of his path. Crowds parted, the usually unshakable city dwellers leaping out of the dark figure's way, some startled, some horrified.

Yin took no notice of any of them, not even turning at their shrieks and gasps. He just ran. The running felt _good_, the rhythm of his legs pounding against the sidewalk registering up his body and bounding its way into his head, pushing through the confusion, shattering away the pain until the only thing left was the rhythm, the pounding, the blank darkness without thought…

And then something…someone…pushed through his darkness, and he ran head-first into them.

Yin jerked back, but the man he had run into had not moved. Instead, the hands that had been tucked into the pockets of the long tan jacket slipped out and came to rest on Yin's shoulders. "Easy, there. You should be more careful."

Risking a glance up, Yin found that the man was much taller than he was - taller even than the men at the star-marked building had been. He was older than Yin, too, and his hair was golden blonde, darker than the too-bright yellow lights but brighter than the dull metal badges the blue-people had been wearing. His eyes were blue, but not a dark blue like the uniforms had been - this was a soft, gentle blue.

For some reason, it made him think of Mama.

The blonde-man looked down at Yin, a light frown on his lips. "What's wrong? Is someone chasing you?"

"B…Boku wa…" Yin sniveled and tried to pull back, but the strong hands held him in place. He still didn't understand. He _couldn't_ understand. "Boku wa…ukagai shinai."

He took a step back, then another. The hands held tight and the man moved with him, taking one, two, three steps to overtake him. Yin looked around them, pulling his hands against his chest defensively, but found that there was no one else around. Just him and the blonde man, and…the darkness.

"You don't have to be afraid," the man said softly, keeping his grip firm, even as he removed one hand, then the other to shift his jacket off. "Just calm down. I can help you, if you'll let me. Just…relax."

The jacket slid around Yin's shoulders, and something in the back of his head felt as though it was redundant. He already _had_ a jacket, the one that…someone…had given him.

It _had_ been a gift…hadn't it?

"That's it. Just relax," the man soothed, and he pulled the jacket a little tighter around Yin. The boy's arms were pinned to his sides, but it felt more like a comfort than a restraint, and he let himself be pulled closer to the blonde, covered…protected.

From somewhere in the shadows…behind the man? Around him? _From_ him?…a pair of white wings unfolded and spread wide, pushing through the darkness. They spread to their full majestic span and held it for a few split moments before they folded up again, this time to settled around Yin like a comforting shield.

"You're safe now," the voice said again, warm and soothing, as stray feathers floated around them on the cold night air. "You don't have to worry. I think I know just the person to help…"

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"I just don't understand," Storm nibbled on her bottom lip awkwardly, watching out the front window of the Blackbird as they lifted up from the ground. "Izumi, Tomoki and Kouji are…meeting us there, and as questionable as that is, we at least know where they are. But we're not really just going to leave Takuya _here_, are we?"

Logan growled deep in his throat, the sound coming out animalistic and dangerous - just as he'd intended. He gripped the steering controls so tightly that even his thick knuckles were turning white. He ground his teeth together and hissed, muttering wordlessly under his breath. Stupid, stupid kid, stupid _kids_ with so much going for them and so much potential, why the hell were they fucking up like this, screwing up their lives, what were they thinking…?

"Flare has made his choice, Storm," the Professor sighed, focusing intently on the controls. "All of them have. You know as well as anyone that we can't hold their hands forever. All we can do now is hope that they will do what is right by them."

The woman glanced at Logan, their eyes meeting for a split moment. Ororo and Logan had known each other for a long time - more importantly, they had known the Professor for a long time. Neither of them were psychic, but in the instant that they saw each other, the looks they gave communicated everything they needed to know.

Storm sighed, placing her hand on the back of the Professor's chair for just a moment before pushing off to join the rest of the team in the back for a debriefing. She paused just a moment, closing her eyes. "I just hope what's right by them will still be good for Yin…"

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

Flare stepped into the strange copter-plane-jet…thing…and looked around, raising one eyebrow with a frown as his brown eyes scanned over the interior. "Can this thing even _fly_?"

"It flies well enough, lad," Magneto said from the copilot's seat, gesturing towards a smallish chair set just behind and between his place and Mystique's control panel, indicating that it was the place that Takuya should sit.

"What's the matter, Sparky?" Avalanche leered over Takuya's shoulder with an ugly smirk. "You _scared_?"

Flare glared at him for the nick name. That wasn't his nick name, that was _Kouji's_ nickname, and besides all that, _Lance_ shouldn't be the one using it. Takuya's glare wasn't near as scary as Logan's 'I'm-going-to-kill-you-bub' snarl or even Kouji's 'touch-me-again-and-you'll-never-be-able-to-have-children' expression, but it was tempered through interaction with both of them and as perfectly icy as one of Bobby's snow blasts.

"Xavier's got a head start. We will _never_ catch up to them with this hunk of junk."

"Ah," Magneto's not-smirk didn't change, but his blue eyes glistened with a cool expression as he ran one magnetized hand over the nearest display screen. "But we're not trying to catch up to _them_."

The screen flickered to life, revealing a grid map, with a large red blip and a smaller black one quite a distance away from each other. Takuya sat down, frowning at his new 'benefactor' just a bit. "You've got a tracker on Yin?"

"Naturally," Magneto settled back for the ride, giving Mystique all the permission she needed to start up the engine. "A smart businessman will always take care to insure his prized investments."

"If you know where he is, then what, exactly, do you need me for?"

"That, boy, will become clear in time."

Takuya scowled and bit his tongue before he could mention how much he _hated_ being strung along with mysterious little not-statements and cryptic hints. Pissing Magneto off was _never_ a good idea, and this time he was with the Brotherhood on his own. He couldn't even count on the X-men for back-up.

Not like he'd _ever_ been able to count on _them_. Not really. Not when it was important.

He settled into the molded metal seat, leaning back against the cool steel, resting his head and stretching out his legs. His foot bumped up against something unusual, something heavy and hard, and he reached down to see what it was.

It was a notebook - no, a sketchbook, the pages were too heavy for just a writing notebook - with a hard brown cover and a small set of pencils attached to the cover. Flare turned it over a few times, raising a curious eyebrow. It just seemed so…out of place. What would Magneto - or Toad or Quicksilver or _anybody_ in the Brotherhood - need with a sketchbook? Somehow, he didn't think sketching seemed to suit any of their tastes as a hobby.

The image of Toad crouching over a sketchbook, trying to draw and drooling on the pages as he did made Takuya laugh just the tiniest bit, and he flipped through the book just to be sure that none of it was sticking together.

The book flopped open against the ground, revealing the nicely-drawn charcoal portrait of an older woman, and Takuya stopped.

He knew that woman. Well, not _knew her_, knew her, as they'd never met, but he recognized her. Before all the hell of the last two months had gone down, Kouichi had kept a picture of her in a frame by his bed, prompting a bit of good-natured 'Mama's Boy' teasing from some of the guys. It had been one of the first things they'd shown him trying to bring his memories back, the first time and every time they thought he might be getting even a little better.

And, if the single kanji in the corner of the page was any indication, Kouichi…Yin…remembered that. Remembered _her_.

He _remembered…_

"Find something interesting, did you?"

Takuya slammed the book closed and dropped it back into its hiding place, sitting straight up. He folded his arms over his chest and frowned at the silver hair on the back of Magneto's head.

"Nothing important," he muttered, pushing a sharpness into his voice that he normally associated with Kouji. Pushing the Brotherhood and their lot to the edge of his thoughts, he turned his head and looked out the window, watching the dark world go by and letting his thoughts wander through fields of charcoal grey…

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

Even at this time of night, Xavier's Institute for Gifted Youngster was rarely as quiet as it was now. It was only because nearly all of its residents were off-campus that it was as still as it was. And it was only because of that stillness that the ringing phone echoed through the empty building three, four, five times before finally being picked up by the answering machine.

With a small click, the tape began to record, and a carefully-measured voice echoed from the machine through the empty school.

"Professor Xavier, this is Warren. Angel. I understand that you're probably busy, but when you get a chance, please call me back. You see, I've met this boy…a mutant, and he seems to be lost. I have reason to suspect that someone might be after him…He's scared, and alone, and very confused. If anyone can help him, I think it's you…"

_**TBC…**_

Um…well, damn. The main X-men group is starting to get to the point where I don't know what to do with them anymore…I just don't know what's wrong with my head lately. Sorry if this seems a little, well…lame. We're getting into the real thick of things at this point, everything's coming together soon, even if the details are a little shaky, so just hang on for a little while, okay?


	16. Direction Daremo nai

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Digimon or X-Men Evolution. So sue me. No wait…don't._

**The X-Evolution - Memories**

**Chapter 15: Direction/Daremo-nai**

"Where the _hell _are we going?"

Gambit grinned and showed a whole range of pearly whites as he pulled the controls of their copter out of their sudden turn. "I've caught a scent."

"A _scent?_" Junpei asked, readjusting in his chair so that he was sitting straight again. "What, like…Wolverine does, sometimes?"

Kouji rolled his eyes. "_No._ We we're too far up for that."

"Oh."

"Don't mean we can't get a good hint now and there," Gambit pulled one sleeve of his long coat back and pointed out the front window, aiming off just a little to the side. "Take a gander out that'a way."

The three kids in the back stood in their chairs as best they could, crowding around Yang to look out. Izumi was the first to frown. "I don't see anything."

"Look hard. Waaaaay in the distance there."

The entire group leaned forward, but Tomoki moved more than the others, to the point where he would have fallen if his balance hadn't been as good as it was. The youngest member of their group frowned, trying to squint past the shadows and the glaring lights of the city on the horizon. "Is that…a plane?"

"Close, but yeh ain't that far off," Gambit flexed his grip over the controls. "It's Magneto."

"WHA-?" Junpei jerked back, hitting his head on the ceiling, and yelped in pain. His movement accidentally pushed Izumi over, who knocked Tomoki head-over-heels right into Kouji's lap. The collective groan and chain of glares made Junpei grin a bit as an awkward apology, but didn't distract him from the rest of his question. "What're following _them _for?"

"Maneto's gotta real invested interest in our boy Yin," Gambit's voice was clam as he rattled off the words, but the tenseness in his arms betrayed his annoyance with the situation. "Knowin' him, he's gotta have a trace on Yin. Magneto knows where the kid is, and he's gotta head start on the rest o' us, too."

Kouji's scowl deepened as he shifted Tomoki off of his lap and leaned over the co-pilot's console. "Then we've got to catch up."

"That we will, boy-o," Gambit grinned a toothy grin and pulled at the controls again. "Hang on to yeh lunch, 'cause it's gonna get bumpy!"

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

Yin sat on the strange, expensive couch in the middle of the rather large apartment, shifting his weight uncomfortably. His hands shifted awkwardly around the steaming mug of hot chocolate that he'd hardly touched since he'd been given it. He didn't really want to drink it, but he liked the warmth - and the color. The dark color of the rich chocolate and the deep navy of the mug were easy on his eyes, even through his glasses.

His host…after a lot of struggling with the words, he'd asked to be called An-gel, or, when he'd found some book with the language Yin knew in it, Tenshi-san…was in the back of the apartment somewhere, drying Yin's clothes. He'd given Yin a set of pajamas to wait in, but Yin hadn't wanted to give up his jacket - he liked it too much, it was warm even when wet, and it was his _gift_ - so now Yin was sitting here in pajamas and a wet coat with hot chocolate and just waiting.

This just…waiting…was a strange feeling, to Yin. All he could really remember was running from one place to another for whatever reason. For all he knew, he'd been running his entire life (no, not his entire life, he remembered other things, didn't he? He knew there were other things, it was silly of him to think there weren't…) and the sudden change just felt, well…odd.

"Aren't you cold?"

Yin jumped a bit at the voice, though it had quickly become familiar to him and remained as gentle as it always had before. Tenshi-san appeared from the hall, carrying Yin's clothes, which had been carefully folded, and a dark blue quilt. "That coat's awfully wet. It's not making you cold? _Samui_?"

"Ii…iie…" Yin shook his head, but shivered nonetheless, pulling his coat tighter. Tenshi-san smiled knowingly and wrapped the blanket around him as an extra layer. "Ah…Arigato."

"You're welcome," Tenshi-san settled in next to him, far enough on the other side of the couch that he wouldn't freak the younger boy out. Yin didn't really want to be touched. It made him feel uncomfortable. Locked in. "Are you feeling any better? _Daijoubu?_"

"Hai…D-Daijoubu."

"Good, good…" Tenshi-san leaned back against the couch cushions with a small smile, his wings stretching above him to tuck behind the low top of the furniture. The white wings twitched a bit as they moved and stretched, struggling to find a comfortable position.

Yin always found himself enraptured by the wings, their pure white feathers gleaming iridescently no matter what kind of light there was in the room. They looked so clean and perfect, so pure, especially compared to all the dirty, scary images darting through what memories he had. He almost wanted to…

"You can touch them, if you want."

Yin jumped and barely managed to control his hands enough _not_ to splash cocoa all over himself. His hands scrambled against the hard, smooth surface of the mug until they stopped shaking, and finally he looked back up at Tenshi through his bangs. "Na…Nani?"

"My wings," Tenshi-san motioned to the eye-catching appendages, which rustled as his muscles moved and shifted as he reached for the language-book sitting on the desk. "You can touch them, if you want - _Sawaru? Ijiru? _- It's all right."

Yin took a little while to process the words before he carefully set the mug down on the coffee table. He rubbed his hands on the pajama pants a few times - the last thing he wanted to do was get anything on the pretty white feathers - then he hesitantly uncurled his fingers and brushed them along the length of the wing closest to him. "Kirei desu…"

"Thank you," Tenshi-san said after he looked up the word, and smiled, but it looked sad. "Not everyone would say that."

Yin wished he could understand what the man had said. He wanted to know what was making his new…friend? Was that the right word?…so sad about his pretty wings. He ran his hand up and down the span of the wing gently, careful not to bend or hurt anything. "Mo…Yawarakai desu. Omoi desu ka? Ano…"

"Slow down, slow down," Tenshi-san chuckled, raising his hands in defeat and lowering the book to rest on his leg. "I can't look up the words that fast."

Yin pulled his hand away and rested in his leg, looking down at his knees. "Gomen nasai…"

Tenshi-san smiled softly and pet Yin's head gently. "It's all right. You didn't do anything wrong."

Yin didn't lift his head, but he did giggle a little. The petting felt nice, it tickled his head and Tenshi-san's hand we nicely warm. He risked a glance upwards through his bangs and was happy to see that Tenshi-san was smiling at him the way people (People he knew? Was this a memory? Or was he just making this up…?) smiled at cute little animals, and Yin liked the attention. It didn't really feel like 'love' (or, at least, he didn't think it did) but it felt…nice.

"Any luck sorting out your memories yet?" Tenshi-san asked, reaching for his language-book again. "Can you remember - _oboeru _- anything? Anything at all?"

Yin closed his eyes and thought hard about what he remembered or thought he remembered or anything. They'd been doing this every hour or so since Tenshi-san had brought him here. Tenshi-san said it'd be good for him to keep looking and asking questions in his head, said that maybe he'd start remembering things that could help. So he closed his eyes and looked at the darkness he saw, poking it, asking for something that would help.

He felt a familiar tugging on his arms and knew that his shadow had come to life again. Tenshi-san had called it his 'power,' but he didn't really understand that word very well. It sounded special, and his shadow didn't feel special or different or anything. It was just…him. Or a part of him, at least.

He poked at the darkness in his mind a few more times before an image finally floated to the surface. It was fuzzy and out of focus, but with a little pushing in his mind it cleared up.

He was walking alone down a sidewalk half-covered in ice, watching his feet move over the cold concrete. Someone behind him said something - a word, but not one her knew, it sounded like "Kow-ee-chi" - and he turned back to find them running towards him. They were dressed in blue, all bundled up and warm, and moved over the icy and gravel as though falling were the last thing on their mind. Yin looked up and met eyes that looked exactly like his, on a face that looked exactly like the picture of him in the mirror, and smiled. This person was safe and warm and made him happy, this person was special to him, this person was…

"Yin?"

He opened his eyes and looked up at Tenshi-san, whose smile had faded into an expression of concern. "_Daijoubu?_"

Yin nodded, but didn't speak yet. He was searching his mind for the right word, the word that would tell him who the person in his memory had been.

"Did you remember anything?"

Yin nodded again and finally found the word. "Daremo-nai."

Tenshi frowned in confusion and searched the language-book for the word. "Daremo-nai? …'Nobody'?"

"Hai," Yin nodded and closed his eyes, loosing himself to the memory once more. "Daremo-nai…"

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"Anything?"

"No. Not a sign."

Cyclops sighed at the Professor's report, sinking back against the wall of the cockpit and pressing his hands against his forehead. Out of the corner of his visor, he glanced back into the passenger area of the Blackbird, at all of the restless, tired and worried teenagers inside. "We've been looking for hours. If we were going to find him, we would have by now…"

Wolverine snarled and Scott shut his mouth so quickly that his jaw popped. Logan didn't look up from the screen of the body-heat scanner that was looping through the trees. The beam, of course, was invisible, but its every swipe brought up a new, green-tinted image of the winding wild trees and the occasional animal that darted between them.

"There ain't anywhere else he _could_ be," Wolverine growled, keeping his eyes locked on the scans. "They _gotta_ be out here."

Scott winced and cringed back into the main haul, without an excuse on his lips. Beast lowered his glasses from his eyes and rubbed his fuzzy face with one hand. "It seems impossible, Logan, but we have to face the facts: The boy is nowhere to be found. Somehow, he must have found a way to…move on. Get completely out of the area, possible even before our search began."

"And we haven't seen word one of the Brotherhood since we left the lab," Storm sighed, brushing a lock of her white hair behind her ear as she adjusted her ear piece communicator. "There has to be a reason for that. Perhaps they knew something that we don't."

Wolverine growled and shoved away from the panel in aggravation. "And how issat possible?"

"Anything is possible, Logan," the Professor said, his soft tone dipping a bit with exhaustion and barely-hidden melancholy. "Especially when Magneto is involved."

Another snarl from Wolverine, who pushed to his feet and stomped across the cockpit with long, frustrated stomps felt as though they shook the entire plane. "If the kid ain't here, then where hell _is_ he?"

"P-Professor!"

The older man turned away from Logan without waiting for a moment. "What is it, Storm?"

"A message…" Ororo's shocking blue eyes were wide in disbelief, bracing the earpiece with one hand, the fingers of the opposite one flying over the keyboard as the screen shifted through programs with the distinct silvery mark of the Institute's main systems. "There's a message in the…the voicemail, back at the Institute, that I…think you should listen to."

Manicured nails clicked across the keyboard, and seconds later the speakers crackled to life with a buzz of static. "…_this is Warren. Angel. I understand you're probably busy, but when you get the chance, please call me back. You see, I've met this boy…a mutant. And he seems to be lost."_

The Professor cut the message off there, twisting back to shoot into rapid-fire commands. "Logan, back in the pilot seat, we're changing course! Storm, get Angel on the line as soon as possible! Hank, tell the students to get strapped in - we're heading for New York, and as quickly as possible!"

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"Are you _sure_ we're going the right way?"

"Positive," the same icy smile slide over Magneto's stretched, withered old face like a stick dragging through the sand.

Takuya frowned, looking down out of the tinted window as their little hover-copter-plane-thing darted between buildings, billboards and too-flashy neon signs. He had one hand braced against the haul wall and the other against the back of Mystique's chair. "This seems a little…precise for a GPS tracker."

"The best technology has to offer, my dear boy," Magneto smiled icily. "I'd suggest you not ask how it came to be in our possession."

Takuya frowned at the back of the silver-haired head, but kept his mouth shut from thereon out.

"Well yeh'know, if we're gettin' close to the guy, shouldn't we be - _hyrak! _- on foot?" Toad asked, making disgusting, half-sick noises in the back of his throat. "'Cause I don't think I can take much more of this…"

"Me either…" Blob groaned mournfully. Avalanche and Flare jumped away from him, getting a little too close to one another for comfort but far enough away from the Blob that they wouldn't be threatened by any…_accidents_.

"Put a sock in it, all of you," Mystique snapped, glancing at the tracking screen momentarily. "He's at this altitude. He must be inside one of these buildings."

Magneto smirked the same wide, stretched smirk as ever. "Then what do you say we _drop in_, my dear? Brace yourself, boys."

And that was the only warning they got before the world shattered around them.

_**TBC…**_

Tenshi - angel (should be obvious, right?)

Samui - cold. (I keep hoping that most of Angel's 'fishing-for-communication' words should be obvious, but this is just in case it's not.)

Daijoubu - Are you all right?/Yes, everything is fine. (It's usually made a question when 'desu ka' is added on the end, but Angel's just using a Japanese-to-English dictionary, so he doesn't know that)

Sawaru, Ijiru - Different ways of saying 'to touch.'

"Kirei desu…" - "They're pretty…"

"Mo…Yawarakai desu. Omoi desu ka? Ano…" - "Also…They're soft. Are they heavy? Are…"

Gomen nasai - I'm very sorry.

Daremo-nai - "Daremo" is an adjective meaning 'everybody.' In its negative form, 'daremo-nai' it should mean 'nobody.' But my language skills have always been a little rusty, so don't take my word on that. It works for the story, though.


	17. Fire Fly

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Digimon or X-Men Evolution. So sue me. No wait…don't._

**The X-Evolution - Memories**

**Chapter 16: Fire/Fly**

_Ring. Ring ring._

Angel quietly excused himself from their not-conversation, crossing the room to the phone, which waited on a table in the front hall. The boy remained on the couch with his blanket and his cocoa, nodding in his distracted way and muttering wordlessly to himself. Warren watched him carefully from a distance, just for a moment, before reaching for the phone. "Hello?"

"Warren, it's Professor Xavier."

"Oh, Professor. It's good to hear from you. I guess you got my…"

"Yes, and it's very important that you listen to me. This boy you found - is he Japanese, about five foot three, with dark hair and blue eyes?"

Angel was startled by the Professor's tone - Charles Xavier, all the times that he'd met the man face-to-face, had always been extremely polite and quietly respectful. But today, he seemed so…insistent, his orders as crisp and stern as they would have been on the battlefield. "I…yes, he is. Do you know him?"

"He's one of ours. You need to be careful, Warren, for his safety and for your own."

"Mine?" Angel frowned, his eyebrows pursing together. "But Professor, he doesn't seem…dangerous."

"No, you're right. He wouldn't hurt a fly - when he's in his right mind," the Professor sighed, sounding tired and tense. "But I'm afraid he's been rather _unstable_ as of late. Even the slightest shock can make him a danger to himself and everyone around him, which is why it is imperative that you-"

_CRASH!_

Warren jerked back hard enough that the phone was yanked out of the wall, only to be blown backwards on the force of an unexpected gale of wind. The huge window that made up the outside wall of his penthouse had been shattered by an odd machine that looked like something between a jet and a helicopter. It had crashed inward and landed in the middle of his living room, the extra weight making the strain on the lower floors express itself in pain, metallic groans.

The couch was knocked over backwards, rolling the boy away like a dropped bag of potatoes. The child drew in a sharp gasp, scrambling backwards on all fours, staring at the attacking machine with wide eyes.

Someone was coming out of the machine, Angel could see the shadows through the dust and the smoke. There were several 'someones', at least half a dozen of them, of all sizes and shapes. They moved strangely, like demons or monsters or…

Or _mutants_…

The moment that thought crossed his mind, Angel drew a breath into his lungs and spread his wings to their full length. He shot forward, snatching his guest off the ground and darting back in the blink of an eye. Even in an enclosed area, he'd always moved faster with via his wings than his legs, and he knew that now, he _had_ to move as fast as possible.

"Hold onto me," he whispered to the boy, hoping that his words would be understood despite the lack of translation. "Hold on as tight as you can. This is going to get dangerous…"

Angel pulled his self-appointed charge closer to his body, feeling the smaller hands tangle themselves in his clothes. He pulled his wings in and dove through the door, rolling in the air and landing on his feet. The dust and smoke followed them through the door, pushed outwards on the wind of his flight, spreading around them and stretching down the hall in looping wisps.

Within the depths of the ruined apartment, the shadows shifted and moved. One of them turned their head towards the door, and there was a glint of gold in the irises.

Warren didn't wait a moment longer. Yanking Yin close to him, he took to the air again, taking sharp turns and managing to stay just inches above the ground in the confined space. dashed down the hall and leapt at the window at the very end. The glass shattered around them and he covered the boy from the fall debris, his wings finally stretching to their full width, and they flew.

The smell of burning metal chased them over the rooftops of New York.

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"Warren? _Warren!_"

The only answer to the Professor's calls was a blast of static, followed by a deafening click as the connection was lost completely. The man lowered his fist to the control panel with a carefully-measured hiss. It wasn't in his nature to swear, and this time, like so many others, he didn't have to, because Logan did it for him, cursing Magneto violently in three different languages as he pushed the Blackbird harder than he had been before.

"They got the jump on us, Chuck," Logan snarled between his curses. "The damn bastards got ahead of us! What the hell 'er we supposed to do now?"

"First, Logan, we need to _stay_ calm," Storm reached out to grab Wolverine with one hand, the other continuing to type rapidly, keeping up their steady communication with local authorities. "We still have a chance to catch up to them. We'll be cleared for landing at the nearest airstrip in…"

"No. We're not landing."

Storm jerked at the Professor's soft voice, as did Beast, who inadvertently dropped the intercom that he'd been holding. "Professor, what did you say?"

"We're not landing," Xavier's repeated simply, keeping his voice at the same mild tempo which indicated that, despite what his companions may have thought, he had not yet lost his mind. "We don't have time. We'll have to go straight to Warren's home."

Storm and Beast stared at him as though they had to reassess their previous assurances of his sanity, but Logan just smirked and tightened his grip on the controls. "Now yer talkin', Chuck. Hang on to yer hat."

"Ororo, get the cloaking device on-line, _now_," the Professor continued, even as the engines revved up and the shot forward jerkily. "Wolverine's skills are enough to keep us from a crash, but we _cannot _be detected. Hank, I need you to go back and get a party ready for a drop."

"A _drop?_" Beast exclaimed, his voice raising an octave incredulously. "We're going to _drop_ some of the kids?"

"With a chaperone, yes! We don't have any other choice!"

Professor X had only raised his voice a tiny bit, but it was enough to drive home the severity of his sudden decision. Storm and Beast shared one uncertain glanced across the cockpit, then the white-haired mutant turned back to her console and began punching in the commands for their cloaking shields. Beast sighed as he stood, pausing once he reached the doorway.

"I hope you're right about this, Charles."

"Believe me, Hank," the Professor whispered. "I hope so, too."

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

Magneto stepped into the ruins of the once-fine penthouse, clicking his tongue as he gazed at the destruction. "Really, my dear," he said to Mystique over his shoulder. "Next time, we really must try to be more…subtle."

A coy smirk slid across the woman's blue-tinted lips. "As you wish, Eric."

"Nnrg…"

The rear hatch of their craft fell open and the boys stumbled out with a collective pained groan. Blob exited first and tripped over his own feet, falling to the ground with a wet thump like a dropped bag of garbage. Toad, who had been following behind with a dazed expression on his face, stumbled over the rolls of Blob's feet and fell, sinking into the fat boy's back. Quicksilver zipped out fast than the eye could follow, and the last two grimaced at the sight of their grounded teammates and stepped around them the way that others might step around a spilled drink.

Flare was tense as he finally got his foot on solid ground, his eyes darting around the ruined apartment, ready for an attack. "Where is he?" he demanded. "You said he was here."

"And he is," Magneto answered coolly, his eyes focusing on the little blinking dot once more. "But it seems we may have startled the bird that lives here."

A crash echoed from down the hall, and Takuya was moving again. He shoved past Magneto and shot down the hall, sliding to a stop and swearing the moment he saw the shattered window.

"They're getting away!"

"They won't be able to get far," Magneto remarked. "Stop them yourself if you're so worried."

Takuya grit his teeth - damn that smug tone, damn the man, damn the situation, damn him, damn _him_ - and clenched his hands into tight fists, but managed to keep just enough control of himself that the heat he'd discovered himself capable of producing didn't rise to such a level that the notebook he still carried would burst into flames. He moved to the window, not fast, but not too slowly, just the way that Kouji would have… hopefully…and leaned out over the edge to see as well as he could. "They're too fast. It's out of my range."

Quicksilver suddenly appeared at his side, a nasty, self-righteous smirk on his face. "Slowpoke. If you'd moved faster, you'd have gotten 'em."

"I didn't see _you_ helping!"

"I was scoping the area," Pietro grinned in his infuriatingly cocky way, leaning out over the broken glass with a grin before turning back with a little jerk. "There's no where for them to go from here. We can catch 'em, no prob."

Avalanche growled, appearing from the doorway and slamming one hand into the opposite fist. "Then let's get 'em already!"

"Not you, Avalanche," Magneto interrupted, appearing from behind with Mystique and Toad in tow. "You're staying here to take care of the Blob."

Takuya snickered just a bit, and Lance looked understandably horrified. "But…"

"It's not as though you'll be much use where we're going, anyway."

As he spoke the words, the magnetically power mutant waved his hand at the burning debris, sucking out blobs of the metal that had been medaled to a near-liquid state by the heat of the flames. The blobs twisted and spun in place, like pizza dough being spread out in the kitchen of a space station, flattening into three perfectly shaped discusses, just the right size for a person to stand on. One of them hovered at just the right level for Magneto to step onto royally, and another swooped down to scoop Toad onto its base.

"Quicksilver, you will follow from below," their leader ordered seriously. "And whatever happens, don't take eyes off them for a second."

The speedster grinned and, with a sharp, "You got it, pops," he'd disappeared from their sight.

"And you, Flare, are coming with us," Magneto continued, floating the third of the disks to hover just inches from Takuya's toes. His voice was amiably, but his eyes held a little gleam that indicated his true nature - Flare was coming so that Magneto could keep an eye on him.

Takuya narrowed his eyes, but stepped up onto the platform with a few wobbling, uncertain steps. "What'ya need me for? I'm just firepower. Not much for a retrieval mission."

"Indeed not," Magneto turned his eyes to the distance again, though this time, they were narrowed darkly. "But we appear to have some unexpected shadows that will have to be…dealt with."

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"Whoa!"

It all happened faster than their minds could process it. One moment, they'd been following Magneto's plane through the streets of New York…as best as they could without being noticed…and then, the plane crashed into a building. And when they'd managed to process the fact that the crash was _on purpose_, a winged creature suddenly burst from the building like a bad out of hell and flew _straight towards them_. It changed direction at the very last second, so close that it clipped the white-feather wings against the window, and in that split second revealed itself to be a young man, a mutant, carrying…

"Nii-san!" Kouji gasped, twisting in his seat to follow the figure. He turned back and grabbed Gambit by the shoulder. "That…he's…he's right there! Go after them!"

"'Friad we've got bigger problems right now, boy-o," Gambit warned, lifting his hand for just a moment to point out the front window.

Junpei jerked to look first and swore under his breath. "Oh, _damn_…"

Magneto was coming straight at them, supported by his own power on a thin disk of metal just thick enough to support his weight. Toad hovered on a similar disk behind him, spitting great blobs of his disgusting toad-splat that was already dripping down their windshield. And just behind him, apparently still trying to get his footing on the slick surface, was…

Someone they never expected.

"Takuya?" Izumi gasped, cupping her hands around her mouth.

"No…No way!" Tomoki exclaimed. "There's no way Takuya would…he'd never…!"

Kouji's eyes widened just slightly, and he felt a hot bile rise up to burn the bottoms of his lungs. "It's not…possible…"

For a split moment, Takuya looked up and met Kouji's eye through the glass, the wind, and the disgusting toad-spit. They held each other's gaze for only a little while, less than fifteen seconds, but it seemed like ages.

Kouji had never seen his friends' eyes look that blank before.

But then, the moment was broken with the screeching of metal parts being ripped from their craft. The copter pitched right, then left, throwing its passengers against this wall and then that one, jerking as the computers were fried by the magnetic waves and the massive rotors were ripped out of their place…

And then there was the flame, fire licking at the edges of their casing, melting plastic and metal into one huge chunk that was fragile, too fragile, and splintered almost instantly under the weight….

Finally, there was a sickening crash, and then they were falling, falling, falling, and the ground grew closer and closer with every last heartbeat…

_**TBC…**_


	18. Smoke Screams

(bows head in shame) I'm so sorry for falling behind as I've done this year. I keep getting distracted by school and just life and being lazy and…I'm really, really sorry for taking so long, I hope you understand…

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Digimon or X-Men Evolution. So sue me. No wait…don't._

**The X-Evolution - Memories**

**Chapter 17: Smoke/Screams**

Takuya's face twisted in concentration as he slipped around on the smooth metal surface of his flying platform…thing. He could feel that the flattened orb itself was stable enough - Magneto was always excruciatingly precise with his magnetic powers - but it didn't do anything to block him from the wind or thick moisture left over from the rain. The only reason that he hadn't just given up and dropped down to grab the disk with his hands was because he could _feel_ Toad watching him, waiting for a chance to heckle him.

He was _not_ going to give him that satisfaction.

Magneto hummed, subtly pulling their attention to him. His silvery-blue eyes had narrowed at the black copter that was approaching them, maneuvering through the buildings with a skill too refined to belong to any amateur. "This is quite the aggravating circumstance…"

Takuya risked a glance up and swallowed hard. The windows of the helicopter were heavily tinted, but there was just enough light coming from a near-by building for him to see the figures up front - Kouji and a taller, red-haired man that Takuya felt he should have recognized, but didn't.

"I should have known that Gambit would turn against us eventually," Magneto muttered, clicking his tongue again. "As fickle as fate, that one is. We'll have to show him that alliances forged in haste break far too easily…"

Behind them, Toad laughed through his sinus cavities and hopped on his platform. "Heh, you got it, boss! I'll show them!"

He jumped up and, with a noise not unlike hacking up a lugie, spat a huge blob of his not-quite patented Toad Sludge at the copter. It splattered across the side window, sticking the passenger-side door shut, but didn't deter the copter from its flight in the least.

Magneto gave Toad a look of contempt, causing the younger mutant to shrink back in fear, before the icy gaze moved to Takuya again. There was a little spark in the depths of the cold irises, not really a flame, but something haunting, a glint of burning ice. It was strange, almost as though…

"Flare, why don't you give your old friends something to deal with?"

Takuya twisted around, staring at the Brotherhood's leader with wide, shocked eyes. "Are you serious? I can't…"

Magneto's cold eyes glanced his way. Suddenly, the force keeping the metal disk in the air was gone, and Takuya was falling fast. He pitched forward, the disk sliding out from under his feet, scrambling for a hold until he was jerked to a stop twenty feet lower than he had been before.

"You were saying, Flare?"

Takuya groaned, the sound turning into something of a growl as he pulled himself off the metal sheet. He knelt up, groping in his pockets for the scraps of paper he'd hidden there, tucking the sketchbook - _Kouichi's_ sketchbook - between his arm and his chest for safekeeping. Finding a single loose scrap, the remains of the scientists' notes on the cure, he lifted it into his grip and risked a glance up at the window.

He could almost see the dark blue eyes beyond the tinted glass, watching his every move, boring into his mind.

_"Forgive me…"_

The paper burst to life, little tongues of fire licking against Takuya's skin comfortably. Seconds later, the flame was a raging torch, leaping across the empty space and drawing fuel from the oxygen in the air.

A pleasant tingling sensation ran up Takuya's body as his power stretched out like a third limb. He took a deep breath, remembering what Storm had taught him, building on his instincts to stretch the arc and focus his aim as close as possible.

The flame sliced across the top of the machine, leaving a deep black groove of melted plastic in its wake. The white-hot tip of the flaming whip hit the middle of the rotary blade, melting the metal edges and fusing the machine together. He was careful to leave the underlying gears unharmed, and the blades were still turning - they were slowing down, but they were still turning. The copter was disabled, but it would be a slow decent, they should be able to figure out a way to land…

"Excellent work," Magneto said, something that could almost be called humor seeping into his tone as he slid in front of Takuya. "_Exactly_ what I needed."

With a swipe of his purple-gloved hand, the liquid metal came to life, rising up in a single metallic mass that twisted around the blades and choked them off completely. From the molten plastic came more and more pieces of Magneto's arsenal as his magnetic powers ripped the computer systems apart and yanked the steel skeleton from its proper place.

The copter pitched right, then left, throwing its passengers against this wall and then that one, jerking as the computers were fried by the magnetic waves and the massive rotors were ripped out of their place. The gas tank was forced upwards, its metal canister cracking open and bringing the liquid in contact with the remains of Takuya's flame. The fuel ignited instantly, the fire raging out of Flare's control, engulfing the vehicle as it spiraled down and down…

"No!" Takuya gasped, dropping to his hands and knees as he watched it fall. A last futile push of the controls sent the copter spinning into a crevice between two buildings. The disappearance was followed by small explosion, and then larger one, and the nothing.

Takuya's limbs shook, suddenly finding it hard to support his weight. The sketchbook slipped out of its protective clutch and fell onto the metal sheet. He watched the gap for a long moment, waiting for some sign, any sign that they had made it out of there, but there was none. Not even a breath.

Flare took in a few long, deep breaths. He felt eyes on his back and spun around to meet Magneto's icy glare. "That…That was murder."

"Perhaps," Magneto said smoothly, his little not-grin never leaving his face. "But it you who made it possible, Flare."

Takuya stared at him a moment, the lowered his head to stare at crash again. He kept his eyes on the coiling clouds of smoke even as Magneto levitated their platforms up and away, dragging them away from the site until it even the black ash had faded into the city smog.

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"Hang on to yer hats!"

Gambit's shout echoed over the screaming noises of their copter's eminent destruction, even as Junpei, Izumi and Tomoki were hurled across the cockpit in that order and collapsed to the floor in a heap. Kouji's hands shot out to grab the edge of the console, locking his elbows to hold himself steady. The heat from the fire was bearing down on the back of his neck as it started to eat through the roof, sizzling beads of melting plastic dripping onto the protective layers of his battle suit.

"Crap, we're all gonna die…!" Junpei shouted, grabbing for a hold as the craft pitched so far to the right that they were sitting on the wall.

Kouji grunted, planting his feet against the window and his hands against the console to push at the door as hard as he could. "This is no time to panic!"

"I think this is the perfect time to panic!" Izumi shrieked, grabbing Tomoki around the waist with both arms.

"It ain't over 'til it's over!" Gambit warned, grabbing on to the door beside him as the edge of the craft caught on a building and dumped anything that wasn't held down against the passenger-side wall. He dug into his coat, yanking a card - the five of hearts - out of his pack. It was filled with energy in seconds, glowing a burning red. "Watch your head, kid!"

Kouji looked up just in time to dodge the flying card, pressing flat against the hard chair. The card buried itself in the seam between the two huge doors, lodged into place warped plastic and the thick metal frame. It held there for only a second before the energy was released, blowing both doors and bursting the haul wide open.

At that moment, Gambit let go of his hold and leapt forward, into the open air. "Bombs away, kiddos!"

Kouji got the hint as the red-haired man leapt over him, following suit just seconds later. Izumi was right on his heels, dragging Tomoki along with her. Junpei hesitated just a moment longer - to mutter something about insanity and suicide methods - before he leapt out as well.

They fell several feet, the momentum from their jump the only thing putting air between them and the crashing copter. Forty stories from the ground, the flames finally hit the gas tank, engulfing the entire helicopter in an explosion loud enough that it shattered windows for three stories.

The mutants were hurled downwards on the force of the explosion, tumbling head-over-heels in the slipstream. On instinct, Izumi tightened her grip on Tomoki, and the air rushed to her call, sweeping up under them and killing their momentum slowly but effectively. Junpei grabbed onto her leg, his bulk catching enough of the wind to push him upwards as well. Static electricity rolled up the girl's body, making her blonde hair stand on end and frizz out wildly.

Kouji and Gambit were a bit further down, arching towards one of the buildings. Gambit grabbed the teen by the arm with one hand, using the other to dig his collapsible bo staff out of his trench coat. He slammed the weapon into the side of the nearest building, leaving a deep grove in the glass panes, slowing but not stopping their fall.

Tomoki twisted in Izumi's grip, shooting a stream of ice down the curve of the building. It formed an ice slide that scooped Gambit and Kouji into its grip, gradually increasing the slope to slow their decent to a safe speed, its oldest parts falling to pieces and melting away behind them in the heat of the explosion. Izumi, in control now that her initial panic had disappeared, brought the wind under command again to guide their path as they circled around the building, finally arriving on the ground in the middle of a back alley.

Kouji and Gambit rolled off the slide into low crouches behind the dumpster, keeping their heads down. Junpei twisted out of the wind's grip about a foot off the ground, landing on his back with a thump. Izumi got the wind to ease her to the ground, setting Tomoki down before she collapsed to her knees.

"That didn't just happen," she whispered, closing her eyes and pulling her arms in like she was giving herself a hug. "Tell me that didn't just happen."

"It happened," Junpei groaned, rolling up to sit on the ground instead of lying on it and rubbing his shoulders in pain. "I've got the bruises to prove it."

Izumi let out a pained mewling and buried face in her hands. "I just can't believe it. How could Takuya…how _could_ he work for…how could he try to…?"

"He wouldn't!" Tomoki insisted, shaking his head fervently and clutching his hands into fists at his sides. "It's gotta be some kinda trick, like…like that lady from the briefing, the shape-changer, it's gotta be!"

Gambit frowned at them as he and Kouji straightened, picking up his bo. "I hate to break it to yeh, but that ain't possible," he spat off to the side, a little bit of red visible in the clear liquid. "Mystique's able tuh copy peoples' appearance, their looks an' their voice. She can't mimic their powers."

The younger mutants lowered their heads a bit as their spirits fell. Gambit sighed, collapsing his staff back to his portable state. "Ah know it's hard to hear, but we gotta accept it. Yer friend's playin' Magneto's game now, an' the Brotherhood plays fer keeps. If yeh don't accept the fact that he's turned traitor…"

"No."

There was a crash from the back of the alley. The group snapped their heads around to find Kouji kicking a wooden crate to pieces, grabbing onto a thin plank and yanking until it broke off. "There's more to it than that. I know there is. There has to be."

__

"You'll always be an X-Man. That's not going to change. Ever."

He scraped the wood against the wall, knocking the splinters off. He tested the weight and turned back to the group, brandishing his newly-created, makeshift bokuto. "There's no way that Takuya's really working for Magneto. There's something more to this. You'll see. We can count on him."

Gambit shrugged, deciding it wasn't worth it to argue with hopeful teenagers. Besides, the rest of the group had their spirits noticeably lifted - that couldn't be a bad thing, considering where they were about to be headed into.

Izumi sniffed and wiped her eyes, smiling just a bit. "Okay…so, what now?"

"Now, we spread out," Gambit took charge, dropping down to draw his instructions in the dirt. "Magneto's goin' it on foot, which means Yin's gotta be somewhere nearby. We split up, we find him first an' we get him outta here, quick."

"Sounds good to me!" Junpei leaned down and drew a line out of Gambit's sketch of their alleyway, curing away and around a corner. "I'll head this way and go around the block."

Tomoki rubbed his hands together nervously, brushing the ice off his palms. "I don't think going alone is a good idea…"

"Don't worry kid," Junpei grinned, cracking his knuckles and sending another small flurry of sparks into the air. "I can handle it."

Izumi rolled her eyes at the display of machismo and put an arm around Yuki. "You can come with me, Tomoki. We'll stick together, okay?"

The youngest mutant smiled at the suggestion and nodded. "Okay."

"Then yeh two'll head this way," Gambit drew a line that split off from Junpei's, heading the opposite way down the road at the corner before he glanced at Kouji. "An' you an' Ah'll head the other way, back towards that building we saw goin' up back there. You up for that?"

Kouji swung his bokuto, giving it a few final tests, and found it to be satisfactory. "Absolutely."

"Good. Then let's get a move on…"

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Yin shivered in the cold, thick air, pulling his jacket further around himself. The shifting drew Angel's attention, and he tightened his grip to get a better hold on the boy. "Hang on. We're heading down."

The boy didn't understand, but the wind around him changed and he closed his eyes to fight down the sinking feeling as they dropped down through the sky again.

Angel landed in a small, abandoned lot usually used for neighborhood baseball games. He set Yin down on his feet and took a step back to examine their surroundings, making sure that they were alone. Once he was sure that they were, he looked back at his charge.

Yin was still shivering, though it didn't seem like the cold was responsible this time. Sweat poured off his forehead, his skin held a rosy flush and his breathing was heavy, as though he'd developed a fever in the ten minutes it had taken them to flee here. He pulled the black jacket further around himself like a security blanket, burying his hands inside the folds of cloth and ducking his head down until his glasses were resting against the edge of the collar. The shadows of the gloomy field were coming to life around him, cradling his body as though it were trying to comfort him.

Angel frowned and brushed the shadows away to press a bare hand against the boy's forehead. He wasn't hot, but he was clammy and winced away from the touch as though it burned.

_"Daijoubu?" _he asked gently, recalling the word from their earlier conversation. Xavier had said the boy was unstable, that a shock could make him a danger. Having a plane crash into his apartment certain counted as a shock…

_"Onakaga itaii…" _Yin whimpered, and, though Angel couldn't understand the words, he knew the mewling of a person in pain when he heard it.

He sighed and tucked his wings against his back, putting one arm around the boy kindly. Taking one more cautious glance around, he started off on foot, pulling the boy into the shadows, which accepted them like old friends.

Angel pulled Yin against him protectively, keeping all of his senses on high alert. Fate had made him this boy's guardian, and he would fulfill that duty…no matter what it took.

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

It was supposed to be part of the X-Men code or something to always be ready for action, no matter what action might be called for. But this, Iceman was sure, was absolutely not in the job description.

"You've _gotta_ be kidding me!" He shouted over the wind, holding onto the frame of the Blackbird's escape hatch. He had to use both hands because, if he hadn't, the wind from the plane's jets and the updraft holding them aloft.

"This ain't no joke, kiddo," Logan growled from behind him, planting one burly hand on his shoulder. "And you volunteered for it, so quit holdin' up the line."

Bobby swallowed hard and looked back at their landing point again, just in time to see Kurt and Scott appear out of a cloud of smoke, then disappear again as they dropped down into the penthouse below. Lucky bastards taking the easy way out…

Kitty giggled as she slid up beside Bobby, grabbing his wrist. "Ready?"

Bobby looked at her incredulously. "How the hell are you so calm about this?"

"You just, like, get used to it after a while," Shadowcat grinned and jumped, Wolverine shoving Iceman out after her.

They dropped like a pair of bricks, falling fifty feet before they hit the roof. Bobby couldn't stop the instinctive gasp as they hit hard blacktop, even as they went straight through it and came out the other side into the top floor, and from there slipped into the floor. At the last moment, Kitty shot out her free hand and solidified herself just enough to stop their fall. A quick gymnastics move - obviously one that had been rehearsed laboriously - and she'd hoisted them both back onto the top floor, finally coming to a stop on completely solid feet.

Bobby wobbled from one foot to the other, his stomach still shaking from the jump, and closed his eyes to force the vertigo away. "You know what, Kit? Don't ever do that again…"

He heard a snort behind him and groaned as he opened his eyes. "Shut up, Kurt."

Any further comments were cut off by an unholy screeching noise from outside. Seconds afterwards, the glass pane shattered as Wolverine threw himself through it. The adamantium claws were, of course, completely undamaged from their slide down the side of the building, and Wolverine withdrew them smoothly as he straightened.

"Let's move," he ordered, and the group followed without so much as a blink.

The group of five pushed down the destroyed hall and into the wreckage of what had been Warren Worthington's apartment, dodging around the flame and debris left by the crash. There was no one in sight and, except for them, there wasn't a sound to be heard.

Cyclops was the first to realize this, and the thought brought a frown onto his face. "All this…is anybody even still alive?"

"Oh, they're alive all right," Wolverine growled, sniffing the air. "They're here. I can smell 'em."

A few more steps down the dark hall and they reached a fork - no, a three-way split, with a hall stretching on either side and still more to go in front. Wolverine signaled for a stop, sniffed the air again, then signaled to split up. Cyclops and Nightcrawler went to the left. Iceman and Shadowcat to the right. Wolverine kept moving straight ahead.

It wasn't until they'd put a decent amount of distance between themselves and the others that a sound caught Bobby's ear and he jerked his head to follow it. Figuring out that it came from the other side of the half-collapsed hallway wall, he grabbed Kitty's arm and slammed them both against the wall. "Ow! Iceman, what…"

"Shush," he hissed, pushing a finger against his lips. "There's somebody over there."

"Really?" Kitty blinked and pressed her ear against the wall to hear for herself. There was a definite thudding noise on the other side, footsteps against the floor. Shadowcat sucked in a breath and grabbed Iceman by the shoulders with a bit of a gleam in her eye. "Let's get 'em!"

"That's just what I was thinking," Bobby grinned, raising his arms in preparation for attack. "Ready? One, two…Three!"

Shadowcat dove through the wall, pulling Bobby with her. Iceman was already conjuring ice in both hands and had just leaned back to flash-freeze the creep when Kitty suddenly screamed and grabbed his arm.

"Bobby, it's _Yin!_"

**__**

TBC…

"Onakaga itaii…" - "My stomach hurts."


	19. Twin Towers

_**Disclaimer:** I don't own Digimon or X-Men Evolution. So sue me. No wait…don't._

**The X-Evolution - Memories**

**Chapter 18: Twin/Towers**

"Angel? Angel, are you here?"

Cyclops's voice echoed off the fallen rubble. Even that minor vibration seemed to be enough to shift the fragile remains from their barely-stable balancing acts, so that the floor almost seemed to shift under their feet. Nightcrawler reflexively grabbed onto Scott's arm with one hand and his tail, ready to teleport them away at a second's notice. It was a textbook X-men safety measure, but it didn't stop them from getting covered in soot.

"Auw, man," Kurt groaned, shaking the fine dust out his fur. "This is hopeless. There's no vay that someone could've survived this."

Cyclops brushed off his own shoulders with a small scowl. "We've seen worse and lived through it, Kurt. Just keep looking."

"Vunderba," Kurt groaned, and began moving through the ruined apartment as carefully as he could. His pointed ears twitched in the stil air, but he didn't pick up any noise that could have been the flutter of angelic wings. "This place is a major disaster."

"Which is why we need to be careful," Cyclops reasoned, then suddenly stopped. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Kurt asked, but at that moment a silver-green blur zipped past him and knocked him flat on his back.

"Nightcrawler!" Scott shouted, his hand automatically flying to his visor, only to be knocked away by the same silver-green blur. The shape zipped past him, then doubled back to spin him around like a top and drop him to the ground as well.

With a resounding laugh, the blur stopped on top of what had been Angel's rather lovely dining room set, revealing itself to be none other than Quicksilver himself. Pietro snickered openly, gloating over the X-men as they tried to scramble back to their feet. "You guys are _way_ too slow. This bird's already flown the coop!"

Cyclops snarled, lifting up into a crouching position. "What have you done with Angel?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Pietro taunted, and started to run again, but just as he picked up speed he ran into a sudden billow of sulfurous smoke.

In that instant, Nightcrawler was on top of him, pining the speedster to the floor with all five limbs. His normally jolly blue-furred face twisted back into a fierce snarl, leaning over Quicksilver's face. "Vhat about Yin?" he demanded with a cat-like hiss. "Vhere is he?"

Pietro grunted, pushing at one of Nightcrawler's arms with a both of his hands. "Get _off_, you blue freak."

"Wrong answer," Cyclops threatened, coming to stand just behind Kurt. The ruby red quartz of his visor glowed threateningly, as though the force beams were only barely being held back. "We're not going to ask a third time, so you better come clear: Where. Is. Yin?"

"Right here."

An unseen force from the shadows flung Nightcrawler to the floor. Kurt rolled expertly and popped upright to stare behind him, boggle-eyed. "It can't be…"

Quicksilver was on his feet and out of sight in an instant, disappearing into the darkness as quickly as he had appeared. The voice from nowhere vanished just as swiftly. Scott coughed to force some air into his lungs, keeping his eyes tightly closed until he was sure that the visor was still in place. He curled around to climb to his feet, darting his gaze around the room. "Was it?"

"I couldn't see," Kurt gasped breathlessly. "But that _vas_ his voice. You don't think…"

"Don't assume anything, ever," Cyclops ordered, breaking into a run. Nightcrawler followed after and teleported further ahead down Quicksilver's path. Scott's hand moved to his communicator instantly. "Iceman, Shadowcat, this is Cyclops. We are under attack, I repeat, we are all under attack. We need to regroup, _now_."

****

( - )

Bobby stopped his attack less than a foot away from its intended target, the icy air barely tickling the small figure's skin. Fragments of frozen water molecules hung motionless in the air, the connections between them the only things keeping them aloft. He held his moment of hesitation for almost a full minute, as though he were frozen in place himself. Finally, he pulled back and let the ice scatter across the ground.

Kitty's hands rested on his elbow and felt almost ridiculously heavy. The figure in the shadows didn't even blink, just stared at them both with large, navy blue eyes.

"Yin…" Shadowcat gasped. "Like, oh my god, Yin! Are you okay?"

The smaller boy didn't speak, just continued to stare at them from the shadows. Bobby sighed and forced himself to relax, pushing away the feelings of wrongness. With little effort, he pushed a grin onto his face.

"I bet you don't even remember us, huh?" he sighed, running a hand through his shaggy blonde hair as he extended the other to the dark-haired boy. "You don't have to worry. We're friends."

The navy blue eyes narrowed sharply, and the younger boy finally spoke. "Of course you are."

All of a sudden, Bobby's and Kitty's feet were yanked out from under them. Iceman hit the floor and Shadowcat nearly fell through in, hardly able to regain enough control their own limbs to get back on their feet.

"Yin, stop it!" Shadowcat shrieked, pulling herself up with her arms. "We just want to help you!"

"I don't need your help. Any of you," the boy said softly, and vanished into the darkness.

But even as he disappeared and before they could recover, they heard another voice, this time accompanied by rumbling footsteps that shook the entire hall. "No problem! _They're_ going to be the ones who need help by the time I'm through with 'em!"

Iceman saw the charging Blob and shouted, "Kitty, get down!"

Shadowcat dropped through the floor, disappearing in an instant. Bobby's hands shot out over the place she'd been just seconds before, spraying a thick layer of ice across the floor. Blob's foot hit the ice and flew out from under him, his own momentum sending him barreling down the ice, his limbs flinging wildly. Bobby rolled to the side at the last minute, ducking into the corner of the hall and letting the massive mutant shoot past him.

As Blob hit the solid, un-iced ground and began to roll, a blast of static suddenly filled Bobby's ear. It was quickly followed by Scott's voice: _"Iceman, Shadowcat, this is Cyclops. We are under attack, I repeat…under attack. We need to regroup,_ now_!"_

"No kidding," Iceman groaned, banging on the floor with his hands a few times to get Kitty's attention. "Shadowcat, come up, we've gotta get out of here!"

"What about Yin?" Kitty gasped as she flipped out of the floor and onto her feet.

"If we buy it, we can't help him, now _move!"_ Bobby grabbed his partner by the arm and practically tossed her ahead of him, not about to still be around when the Blob got his feet back under him. His eyes darted to every dark corner as they ran, expecting the shadows themselves to leap out at them with a life of their own.

_"Dammit, Yin…"_ he thought. _"What the hell are you doing?"_

****

( - )

After just twenty minutes, Yin's steps had become so broken and erratic that Angel was practically carrying him. His navy eyes fluttered open and closed anxiously, and it was all he could do to lean against Angel's side and place one foot in front of the other. His fever had spiked at least five degrees, leaving him breathless and soaked with sweat, his forehead sticking to Angel's shirt.

"It's all right," Warren soothed, stroking the boy's sweat-soaked brow. "Just keep moving. You can make it, just a little more…"

"Kouichi? Oh my god, Kouichi!"

The sudden voice startled both of the fleeing mutants and the two bodies rushing at them from the darkness just made it worse. Angel yanked Yin close to him and flared his wings wide like a defensive mother bird, ready to take to the sky in an instant if need be.

The two advancing figures stopped short, sliding to a stop in the light of a streetlamp. They were young, teenagers, one girl and one boy. She was obviously the older of the two, a tall blonde with sky blue eyes, and he was a smallish sort of boy with mousy brown hair. Both were dressed in glossy black clothes, hers lined with dark purple, his in an icy green. But it was the distinct pattern of the uniforms - several stylized X's repeating over and over without even trying to be subtle - that let Angel know exactly who they were.

"You…" Warren lowered his wings slowly and loosened his grip just the slightest. "You work with the Professor, don't you?"

The girl's blue eyes lit up with excitement. "Yes! Yes, that's it exactly!"

"What's wrong with Kouichi?" the boy asked worriedly, scurrying forward for a better look.

"Is that his name?" Angel muttered softly, not really asking the question so much as voicing his thoughts aloud. "Kouichi, I mean. He told me it was Yin."

The smaller boy frowned deeply, his thin brows knotting together in concern. "So he still doesn't remember. After all this…"

They approached slowly, as though worried that they would spook the older man again, but Angel remained calm this time. Yin wavered unsteadily on the spot and groaned, so Warren guided him to the ground as slow as he could, letting him knell down as the two X-men rushed forward.

"Is he hurt?" the girl asked, her voice worried and soft.

"No," Angel shook his head. "It's more like he's sick, but it's come on too quickly to be anything natural."

The youngest in the group bit his lip, glancing to the girl like a younger sibling begging big sister for advice. The girl licked her lips once, then reached out to touch Kouichi's face with gentle hands, guiding his eyes up to meet hers.

"Kouichi, can you hear me?" she asked softly, stroking his cheek with her thumb. "It's me, Izumi. Tomoki's here, too. I know you probably don't remember us, but…we're your friends. We want to help you."

Yin groaned, closed his eyes and shook his head, weakly repeating the same 'I don't understand,' mantra from before.

"He doesn't speak English," Angel said in a slightly defensive tone, as though he was suddenly having his doubts about the newcomers' intentions.

"That thing is gone," Tomoki realized, pointing to Kouichi's distinctly uncovered temple. "The translator. It must have fallen off."

Izumi nodded in understanding, cleared her throat and repeated the question, this time in completely fluent Japanese. Kouichi's eyes opened wide and the words and he whispered back to her in hurried, broken spurts of frantic communication.

"He says that something's wrong," Izumi translated once they were finished, for Angel's sake. "He says he feels something coming up from inside of him, like it's trying to get out from the base of his skull." She closed her eyes and shook he r head, the long blonde hair rustling down her back as she did. "I don't think we can help him. We've got to get him to the Professor."

Tomoki groaned, looking around at the unfamiliar streets as though he was completely lost - which, to be perfectly honest, he was. "First we have to _find_ the Professor."

"Then we're going to have to hurry," Angel said slowly, turning his head towards the sky. "Before someone finds us. Look."

Izumi and Tomoki turned to follow the angelic mutant's gaze as Angel pulled Kouichi back into the shadows. A flash of light in the distance drew their attention to a silvery, round shape in the sky, rounding the TV antenna that stood on the skyscraper down the street. On top of it, a figure was crouched, and though from this distance they couldn't see who it was, they could guess.

"Magneto," Izumi breathed, tensing up, and wind suddenly picked up strength.

"Stay calm," Angel hissed, realizing what was happening. "We don't want to draw attention to ourselves."

The wind stopped and Izumi stepped back, pressing herself against the wall. Tomoki followed suit. Three sets of eyes remained glued to the lazily-moving silver disk, especially when they noticed the other two were hovering nearby, circling outward through the neighborhood like predators searching for their prey.

Zypher, Yuki and Angel knew for certain: _They _were the prey.

"We need to get out of here," Warren said softly, standing and pulling Kouichi slowly to his feet. "I know this city. Follow me."

Tomoki grinned, the way that Takuya always had, trying and failing to cover up the fact that he was scared out of his mind. "It's not like we have a choice, huh? Lead the way."

Angel nodded to the two teenagers, letting Izumi pull the ailing Yin's arm over her shoulders to support him better. The blonde man spared only one glance back to the hovering disks before he lead the way through the curving backstreets. Magneto had not noticed them yet. He could only hope that kind of luck would hold up for a little while longer.

****

TBC…

The pacing of this story is really screwed up. (gloom) I apologize for making you all wait so long for such a dumb chapter. The next chapter will be better, I promise, and so will the chapter of _Balance_ I'm hoping to finish next week…


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